It’s so easy to become accustomed to an artist’s sound and yet only remember just how special they are when you see them live. Kate Martin is definitely one of those acts, as demonstrated at her ‘Awaken’ single launch.
Her records are both beautifully made and beautifully performed, but there’s an extra dimension that the 22-year-old brings to her live performances that really sets her apart.
Supporting Martin at the cosy Grace Darling were Melbourne acts Eliza Hull and Texture Like Sun. Both played to an almost full room – a rarity for support acts in Melbourne. There was a real community feel among the audience and a few notable members of Melbourne’s music scene present.
Hull performed a set of gorgeous, soft folktronica and played with immense honesty. Hull started the set solo, but as the songs progressed, she invited band mates Mitch and Nat up – Mitch on drums and Nat as the equally gorgeous backing vocalist.
It’s so easy for electronic music, particularly material that is soft and atmospheric, to blend together and become monotonous – but Hull never let that happen. Whether it was the number of musicians playing, the instrumentation, or simply Hull extending her enviable vocal range, each song felt like a progression of the last. A highlight was definitely her cover of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, a beautifully arranged rendition that was perfect for Hull’s synth-y instrumentation. “Don’t think of Miley!” she giggled before beginning the song.
Texture Like Sun is a band that has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year or so. Their live performance did used to err on the side of slightly mundane, but even with only half the band present, the Melbourne outfit are now doing some incredibly interesting things.
Their Bon Iver-esque style suited The Grace Darling and the crowd, who were all sitting cross-legged on the floor. Their tunes were serene enough to create such an aura of calm around the group. The lead singer had a beautiful, unique tone with an incredible range that sounded absolutely effortless. If a band’s live performance can improve that much in a year, Texture Like Sun is definitely one to watch in the future.
Finally, the elegant Kate Martin hit the stage – shutting the whole crowd up and leaving them mesmerised. Her mature, sophisticated performance style and youthful energy mixed with giggly chats between songs make her such an engaging and fascinating performer to watch.
Reeling through tracks from her first two records as well as a few newbies to appear on her upcoming third album, Martin created a perfect balance of songs that kept the audience wanting more.
Midway through the set, she launched into ‘Apples’, a single from her second album Hand Me My Bow And Arrow and probably Martin’s most well-known song. The sitting audience started to bop their heads and loosen up while Martin was having a ball on stage. Another highlight of the set was Martin’s reworking of the traditional war song ‘Two Little Boys’, handled with delicate care but obvious passion.
Martin’s mix of beautiful lyrics plus her impressive guitar technique (which was almost impossible to take your eyes off) is what makes her such a strong performer in her own right. Her band filled out the sound nicely too, but left her in the spotlight.
Closing the set with her new single ‘Awaken’, Martin really came into her element with the use of vocal loops, pedals, and other techniques to create the richest, fullest sound you might ever hear from a single person. Most of the audience stood up at this point and grooved along to the beautiful sounds.
It almost felt like a privilege to witness Martin in her element at The Grace Darling. Little gigs like this one are the start of something huge for the Townsville-born, Melbourne-based beauty.
Her impressive performance and genuineness is sure to pay off as she undoubtedly conquers the lucrative Australian music industry with gusto and undying charm.
