Sometimes, for even the most experienced musicians, there are factors out of their control that make a performance sub-par.
For Chan Marshall, the first of her three Thornbury Theatre shows as the enduring Cat Power would be sadly ruined by sound issues.
How the sound team at the Thornbury Theatre didn’t signal out the audible grievances earlier on in the night is baffling.
Throughout Mick Turner’s opening set, the Dirty Three guitarist’s problems were clear. The “post-rock opera” tunes of his 2013 solo effort Don’t Tell The Driver were nowhere near as immersive as the recorded versions, with the horns noticeably out of sync.
The crowd gave up halfway through the performance as their muffled chatter began and grew louder as the set went on.
However, the attention was immediately refocused when Marshall entered the stage.
The 42-year-old arrived with just her guitar and a piano in tow, the singer favouring the former for her first few songs.
Or at least that’s what she planned.
With zero sound emitting from the speakers at the strum of her instrument, Marshall was forced to begin with a striking selection of songs on the piano.
Drawing mostly from her back catalogue rather than relying on 2012’s Sun, the musician showcased the heartbreaking sentiments of not only her songwriting, but the vast array of covers that she’s become known for throughout her career.
With ‘Old Detroit’, Marshall ushered in round two with the guitar, but inevitably switched back defeated.
The musician signalled countless directives towards the sound technician throughout ‘Wolf Among Wolves’ and ‘Fool’. After stopping midway through the latter, the singer profusely apologised – not for the sound issues, mind you – but for asking the sound engineer to fix the reverb issues at hand.
Back to the piano and the likes of ‘Can I Get A Witness’, ‘Let Me Go’, and ‘Mary’ sounded as perfect as you’d expect from an adept musician.
However, having her back to half the audience was becoming too much for Marshall.
“Sorry, I’m so introverted right now,” she said in-between songs.
Her frustration eventually spilled over midway through ‘Let Sadness Not Be Attached To Your Name’ when the singer abandoned the track to give her guitar another a chance.
There was a little more success as the dark bluesy tones of ‘Great Expectations’ rang through the Thornbury Theatre.
Yet even as she soldiered through ‘Good Woman’ and ‘From Fur City’, there was still something noticeably not right with the sound.
Multiple back and forths with the sound engineer continued without success. Despite encouragement from the audience, Marshall couldn’t hide the disappointment from her face.
Eventually it all became too much. The musician vacated the stage for a break, giving what appeared to be a few choice words to the sound technician on her way out.
As staff hurried to fix the problems in her absence, the break extended from a “few minutes” to 15.
Sure, the sound issues were mostly rectified upon her re-entrance, but after a few more songs the audience began to disperse.
It’s not because Marshall was below par, but with the last few trains apart to depart, they were left with no other option.
Even for those that did stick tight for the exquisite ‘Bully’, the sound difficulties from earlier on will forever tarnish the more memorable moments of Marshall behind the piano.
While finding faults in a musician’s performance can ultimately hamper your enjoyment of a gig, when external factors actively ruin the experience for all parties, it culminates in a bizarre and bitterly disappointing situation.
Cat Power was never truly allowed to display the best of her discography in an intimate setting; instead, the audience was resigned to the fact that they would have to wait until next time for such an experience.
