Working in the same twilight, noirish world as Amaya Laucircia, Sydney trio Devotional make an ideal support act for the Melbournian.
The band’s dark and handsome country tunes prove to be enchanting. The set includes songs from all of their releases, including the most recent dream-like My Baby Loves Me All The Time. The performance sees them conjuring up a woozy atmosphere with molasses-slow melodies unfolding over a backdrop of restrained guitar and delicate drumming.
Anchored by the other-worldly beauty of Madelaine Lucas’s voice, their music is darkly gorgeous – like the Cowboy Junkies writing the soundtrack for a Twin Peaks episode.
The best songs include the country-tinged ‘Dream Rider’, the patient and spacious ‘Mercy’, and an ethereal cover of X’s ‘Don’t Cry No Tears’ – the latter being gorgeous and uncharacteristically resigned from a band better remembered for their rawness and urgency. It’s also a song with a personal resonance for Devotional, having been penned by Lucas’s father, Ian. They remain one of the most under-appreciated gems of the Sydney music scene.
On an unseasonably wintry Sydney night, only a small crowd is in attendance when Amaya Laucirica takes the stage. They are rewarded with an assured set from Laucirica and her five-piece band, whose full sound nonetheless foregrounds her remarkable voice, a rich and warm instrument possessed with a haunting edge.
Over the years, Laucirica has supported the likes of Adalita, Blonde Redhead, and Holly Miranda. Only Miranda gets close to her distinctive style, a hypnotic and intoxicating sound low on pyrotechnics but thick with atmosphere.
Tonight marks the launch of ‘Found Some Secret’, which makes a virtue of simplicity and repetition. The song draws much of its power from the melody. It seems straightforward at first, but the tune lodges itself somewhere deep in your consciousness.
‘Found Some Secret’ is just one of a batch of brand new songs to feature tonight. From first impressions, the next record (slated for release in March 2014) will be a vital one for those with an interest in the dreamier gentle end of the pop spectrum.
There are also some old favourites, from the slow-burning 2010 LP Early Summer, including the pretty ‘This World Can Make You Happy’, and the driving ‘Climb Up High’.
The beautifully atmospheric ‘When I Think Of All The Places’, a song that brings to mind the swampy feel of Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs, also plays to her dark, brooding strengths. During the final song, with just her and an electric guitar, Laucirica proves she can captivate with the simplest of ingredients.
