In a very short time the artist known simply as Kimbra has won over a legion of fans, received much praise from the Australian music media as well as much airplay on national radio. To add to all of her current accomplishments, Kimbra has just concluded working on her debut album Vows; the twenty one year old New Zealand songstress seems to have taken Australian audiences by storm and on Sunday night, she played to a sold out crowd at the Governor Hindmarsh.
The Gov saw punters streaming in from the very beginning, chairs and tables cleared away to make way for the capacity crowd, also making the venue seem much larger than usual.
To open the evening’s show were Adelaide indie favourites, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, who, upon taking the stage, received a very warm hometown welcome. The crowd was instantly taken by the group’s unique blend of melodic indie pop, and the Saturday night began with many audience members dancing along. The band played through a strong set, and adding some new material to the set list seemed to get punters quite excited. Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! were a great choice to open the show, full of energy and they created an excitable atmosphere amongst the crowd.
Next on the bill were Victorian based folk rock heroes, Husky, who have recently returned from a successful USA trip and will shortly be releasing a new album. The group, only playing Adelaide for the second time in their career, had the crowd in a daze from the strike of the first chord. The group had an amazing acoustic-styled folk-rock sound, accompanied by catchy musical collaborations and melodic vocals. Husky are a band you simply can’t turn away from; they entice you and if you close your eyes, you can almost escape reality and be lost in their music.
As the night progressed, the crowd gathered by the stage in anticipation of Kimbra making her eagerly awaited entrance.
The lights dimmed and Kimbra ran onto the stage, her back facing the audience. The opening notes of ‘Settle Down’ hit and the very eccentric Kimbra had no trouble getting the crowd to move. Kimbra had an amazing stage presence, never standing still or seeming complacent; it was evident that despite her young age, she knew what it took to entertain and hold a crowd captive.
Playing through a strong set list including ‘Love is a two way street’ and ‘Limbo’ gave the crowd a good sense of her repertoire and no doubt pleasing punters who were already familiar with her body of work. Aside from impressing the audience with her flamboyant personality and music, Kimbra also had a costume change during the show (possibly the first to have ever taken place at The Gov), changing into a classic red cabaret-style outfit.
Finishing her set with ‘Cameo Lover’ left the audience on a high and wanting more of Kimbra, which of course was met with a very enthusiastic encore. Gracing the stage without her backing band, Kimbra played ‘Something Please’ solo on guitar, which went down a treat and was a bit of a rarity for fans. Afterward she was joined by her band and finished the show by playing ‘Samaritan’ which she explained was a song that has a bit more depth as it deals with some social issues.
Kimbra has, in a very short time span, achieved a great deal more than most artists would perhaps hope to achieve over their entire career. Her live performance was nothing short of phenomenal and only left fans wanting more. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the young starlet.
– Matthew Mercieca
