It was a humble arrangement in a grandiose setting, the pipes of the grand organ foreboding like an unfired Chekov’s Gun behind the altar. If Laura Marling felt exposed or imposed while addressing the congregation gathered across the church’s two levels, she didn’t show it.
Joined only by her touring cellist (a recent affinity barebones and sensible approach to touring was divulged midway through the set), Marling led through a wondrous, if brief, collection of tracks taken mostly from latest release Once I Was An Eagle.
As was the recurring theme for the night, there was an abundance of inter-song tuning and affable banter. The latter explained that the former was a sticking point for when Marling’s dad reads her reviews, citing it as a sign of unprofessionalism. So here I am, reviewing Laura’s recount of her father’s review of her live reviews. Meta as hell, I know. It wasn’t so much a distraction, in fact it added a nice buffer between each of the captivating tracks. It did, however, eat into the set time, with the set list perhaps not quite living up to the price tag. Maybe it was a case of quality rather than quantity, but we can wish for both.
What was delivered was superb, with Laura showcasing devout appreciation for the folk icons of yesteryear – made explicit with a pristine rendition of Simon And Garfunkel’d Kathy’s Song. Some tracks were almost effortlessly great, such as the relatively older Rambling Man, while some were garnished by endearing minor missteps. “Whoops, that’s a clanger,” was uttered without missing a beat.
Laura Marling’s aspirations aren’t stadium-sized – they’re song-sized. And that can only be commended.
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
LOVED: The voice, the setting.
HATED: As far as pews go, these were pretty comfy. But the comfiest of pews are still pretty uncomfy.
DRANK: This lousy church didn’t come equipped with a bar, God dammit.
