There are very few things in life, cold Melbourne nights included, that can’t be fixed with a liberal dose of Ainslie Wills.
Walking in to Wills’ set, all shivers are shrugged off once the songstress bathes the dark room with her warm vocals. While usually flanked by a full band Wills is accompanied by only one guitarist tonight.
Sweeping from ethereal to tough as nails, one cannot help but think of the similar vocal versatility of the late Jeff Buckley. “I’m Your Woman” begins with only the sharp click of Wills’ fingers, breaking up the hum of low conversation in the crowd, before a rough guitar scrapes its way into the bare bones rendition.
Wills has a spellbinding hold over the crowd which is a credit to her and her immense talent. Sadly, it is time for her finish up and she bids the audience goodnight with “The Fighting Kind,” and once they are done clapping along to the song her captive audience breaks into all out applause.
Cigarettes are ground out and beers quickly replenished as the curious sound of rain and thunder ring out not from outside but from within the band room. The storm sound effects quickly set the mood for the imminent show: rumbling, dark and moody.
Consisting of vocalist Anthony “Tone” Catalano and drummer Celeste “CC” Spina, the San Diego based two piece known as Little Hurricane have been riding a steady wave of buzz culminating in a mini tour of the East Coast of Australia in support of their album Homewrecker.
“Trouble Ahead” greets the rapidly filling room with a hit of dirty blues with a swirl of grunge for good measure. Catalano howls with the best of them while CC, a delicate slip of a woman, pounds the drums with the fury of ten men.
It’s not until after “Get By” that Catalano simply says “we’re Little Hurricane and we’re very happy to be here” before launching into “Hold Me Back”, rollicking back and forth between the singer and Spina. There is an almost sinister aggression in Catalano’s delivery, a wild eyed passion in every word, to which Spina responds with spine jangling percussion.
“Shortbread” aches with a simmering resentment of love gone wrong as the crowd nods along enthusiastically. The set is let down a little by some wishy washy sound, occasionally the vocals hum along indecipherably before being drowned out all together.
As the storm that is Little Hurricane threatens to blow itself out, Spina introduces a song she wrote “about my grandmother who passed away and the love my grandfather still has for her to this day” and the band begin to play “Sweetpea;” a beautifully performed ballad that both celebrates true love and mourns its loss.
It is a world away from some of their darker tunes but the unabashed honesty of the lyrics is heart wrenching “Sweetpea” is an unexpected highlight of the show. Changing things up the duo tackle a cover of Elbow’s “Grounds For Divorce” which they pull off with great aplomb and to a hearty round of applause.
A rocked up version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” follows immediately afterward and though being a solid cover it is a little puzzling as to why back to back covers found their way into the set, however personal opinions aside the well lubricated Friday night crowd lap it up.
Title track “Homewrecker” slinks in towards the tail end of their set with the full support of the crowd. In the face of a difficult weekend gig wise (Parklife, Steel Panther and Something For Kate all vying for punters’ dollars this weekend) Little Hurricane put together a show that can proudly stare the competition in the face.
They play music that sounds appropriately enough like the soundtrack to an impending summer storm with the white hot tension of a southern melodrama. Sure, they can play a mean ballad, but Little Hurricane are truly at their best when they err to the darker side of their sound.
Seeped in jealousy, angst and sex, Little Hurricane’s mini tour has hastened their slow burning popularity perhaps not to the hype machine levels of Lana Del Rey or Alt-J but enough that Australia will be battening down the hatches sooner rather than later.
