New Zealand’s capital was blessed with the second show of a string of gigs down under from Cat Power leading up to Aunty Meredith’s ever-popular Golden Plains festival.
Wellington’s Town Hall served as the beautifully ornate setting for an incredible night of music, complete with a ceiling high pipe organ that appeared to drip from the roof.
Support came from Auckland’s Watercolours, the musical moniker for Jessica Metcalf. The sultry tones of her voice and carefully crafted electro pop more than made up for her painfully awkward banter between tracks. A flamboyant presence on stage, the electronically programmed music harshly underpinned her strong vocals.
A lengthy wait between sets had the crowd itching to get their ears around some indie goodness. Finally after 40 minutes of idly staring at the ceiling, the lights went down with the stage backlit in blue as Atlanta’s Chan Marshall waltzed on stage to rapturous applause.
As the stage was swamped in white light from behind, the short bright blond hair of Cat Power stood out as the band eased into ‘The Greatest’, from the 2006 album of the same name.
It was impossible not to become wrapped up in the stunning atmosphere created by the setting and the lights, but even more enthralling and captivating was Marshall’s vocals. The opener allowed her to show both the subtlety and incredible strength in her singing as well as displaying the band’s talents with dynamics.
Sure enough it set the tone for the evening as they followed it up with ‘Cherokee’, the first track of the night from last year’s album Sun. ‘Manhattan’ and ‘3, 6, 9’, from that same fantastic album, translated particularly well in the live setting as the songstress moved from one side of the stage to the other.
One aspect that was slightly disappointing was the frequency in which Cat Power’s voice was muddied under the music and heavy instrumentation. It was also clear that she was struggling with as she coughed and patted her chest in between each track and kept crowd banter to an absolute minimum. Perhaps most impressive was her ability to not let this deter her or really effect her vocal performance.
A particularly special moment came with her rendition of ‘Angelitos Negroes’, a track from her 2008 record Jukebox, sung in Spanish. Once again she drew the audience in with her soft voice underpinned by smooth piano before the band’s cacophonous build toward the chorus as Marshall’s voice soared through the hall.
The most incredible part of seeing Cat Power live is that even if you’re not familiar with any of her work, she can still keep you engaged for 90 minutes. For her fans it would have simply confirmed her status as a great live performer, whilst those who weren’t fans before now simply fall into the former category.
She seamlessly shifts from pop to folk to rock and electronica endlessly throughout the set, also encapsulating her talent as a continually evolving songwriter. The most bluesy and also beautifully melodic moment comes with ‘I Don’t Blame You’, a revitalised version from 2003’s Your Are Free.
It’s track that in its new form, could be just at home on a Groove Armada record as that of any blues artist. In fact anyone familiar with the vocal styling of Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, can tell she’s spent some time enjoying Cat Power.
It’s this diversity in Marshall’s voice and songwriting that makes seeing her live such a rewarding experience. Closing out the night was the popular single ‘Ruin’ from Sun, with an extended ending to allow for the American to throw out a bunch of flowers stem by stem into the crowd.
As the band departed the stage, Marshall was treated to a long ovation as she walked from one side of the stage to the other, waving and showing enourmous appreciation to the crowd for their support and gratitude.
On this night, Wellington was well and truly treated to an unforgettable night of music and what has to now be a highly anticipated set in the Supernatural Amphitheatre at Golden Plains and the rest of her Australian dates.
