If you haven’t heard of Emma Louise, you’ve surely heard that one song. You know, Jungle? For an artist whose popularity has derived solely from a singular breakout track, her packed show at Village Melbourne on Friday confirmed that the Queenslander is fated for a career far beyond just being the voice of a one hit wonder.
Opening up the night was Brisbane outfit Holy Holy, delivering a sound somewhere between Fleet Foxes and The National, with lead singer Timothy Carroll’s voice bearing an undeniable resemblance to that of Ben Gibbard.
After Holy Holy’s punchy set, a glowing Emma Louise, channeling her best Sinead O’Connor, took an eerily lit stage. Dressed sharply in a crisp white button-down and suspenders, the singer/songwriter launched into a mesmerizing rendition of album opener 17 Hours. And with that, her angelic voice transported Village Melbourne from a rainy, overcast night into a dream-like fantasy world.
Positioned against a foggily lit backdrop, Emma Louise and her four-piece band floated through a hypnotising eleven song set. The singer/songwriter created an ethereal atmosphere, but at times it was easy to get lost in a melancholy daze. Even Emma Louise acknowledged her penchant for forlornness, joking with the audience in the middle of her set that there would be “One more sad song and then some not so sad songs, but still with a hint of sadness.”
Songs from her debut album, vs. Head vs. Heart largely made up the night’s material, but it was 1,000 Sundowns, off of her 2012 EP Full Hearts & Empty Rooms that emerged as the runaway moment of the evening. It was a clinic in storytelling of sorts, as Emma Louise stood alone with a guitar and her crisp voice, in its most articulate form of the night, resonated throughout the hall. Claim to fame, Jungle came near the end of her set and even managed to rouse some enthusiastic audience members out of their seats for a bit of a dance.
Emma Louise closed up the night with a haunting new duet with her keyboardist and left not a doubt in anyone’s mind that although she may have that one song, she’s got many, many more of those up her sleeve.
BY LAUREN GILL
Loved: The diversity of the crowd.
Hated: Blinding stage lights.
Drank: Nothing, her voice was intoxicating enough.
