At 10.30pm on Friday October 29, as I moved from the main bar to the back room at Miss Libertine I honestly thought I’d walked into a ‘happening’.
At 10.30pm on Friday October 29, as I moved from the main bar to the back room at Miss Libertine I honestly thought I’d walked into a ‘happening’. The room was black, there were no lights on except for some very dim down lights and on stage rock band Drunk Mums were brutally contorting as they played their instruments as though they couldn’t hear them. And did I mention the band and the people in front of them were dressed for Halloween?
The thought that I was witnessing an intentionally arty display was dissipated when I turned and saw the sound guy and the lighting tech waving their hands in a baffled fashion.
The full stage lighting had returned by the time the headlining act, Kristina Miltiadou and her band, had arrived on stage. Lush, inclusive and gorgeous (with a bit of unintentional strobe light as the lighting drop-outs continued) pretty much sums up Miltiadou’s 45 minute set. Miltiadou’s Lily Allen reminiscent spoken word style was immediately accessible to one of biggest crowds I have seen at Purple Sneakers at Miss Libertine. Her voice is rich and true and when combined with the vocal harmonies of band member Yuko Nishiyama an uplifting and life-affirming atmosphere is elicited.
For her final track, Carousel, Miltiadou invited crowd members to come on stage to clap and sing-a-long. Normally, my cynical and embittered 29 year-old self can not abide by this kind of ‘hippy bullshit’ but Miltiadou had me clapping – not on stage mind you – but I was still getting into it.
Kristina Miltiadou has her debut album coming out on Sydney dance label Etc Etc next year and if her and the band can successfully translate the energy they capture on stage on to this album then I believe it will bre something very special because the songs are amazing.
