It was a cold evening in Melbourne at the Evelyn Hotel on November 9.
Cold as if winter was clinging to the remaining fabric of the calendar year. Stepping into the Evelyn Hotel, wrapped in merino wool the weather resembled the chill of a Tasmanian evening, the wind singing its song, as a shiver jangled my bones.
It seemed fitting that three Tasmanian singer-songwriters were set to perform at the Ev that evening as a part of Charlotte Abroms curated Three Songs Each. Two of these artists Oscar O’Shea and Abby Wallace had never before performed live in Naarm/Melbourne, weaving in another layer of newness to the extraordinary event.
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
View this post on Instagram
Abroms, a stalwart in the Australian music scene, heralded for the work she has done with artists, particularly those emerging into their artistry, changed her approach to working with musicians years ago due to the demanding and unsustainable nature of conventional management. She embarked upon a consultation style model and has since worked with hundreds of artists ongoing. Three Songs Each at the Evelyn Hotel pieced together five of the emerging songwriters she has been consulting to offer audience members an introduction to their craft.
Alongside Wallace and O’Shea, Cooper Lower, HOWQUA and Rupert Bullard featured on the lineup, and had it not been for a sudden bout of illness Caisha Sprout would have appeared too. The concept had been outlined in an introductory note by Abroms, stating the nature of proceedings, but there was an uncertainty that clung to the night, like the clinging tremble of this year’s frigid November.
The Evelyn Hotel transforms from grunge to jazz
And so, the Evelyn Hotel, unlike its usual grunginess with sticky floors and crackling PA had been laid out with chairs, dim candlelight and tables. It resembled something of a jazz club in LA or NYC or the lounge room of any given individual deep in the throes of the middle of the year. The space slowly filled up with chattering guests, the whispers of their intrigue and curiousity of what was to come swirling in the room like the wind that moved outside.
And then as the night was introduced with lutruwita/Tasmania based Abby Wallace taking to the stage, filling the room with the warmth of her most recent single release Atlantic Blue. Despite the track suggesting an extension of the already apparent cold, there was a warming hum, as if a fire had just been lit that filled the space. That very fire was set to stay the duration of the night, flickering and undulating in the heat it radiated.
Leading out from Wallace’s performance came forth the uniqueness of the night at the Evelyn Hotel. The five performers cycled onto the stage one after the other, sharing one song each. As the title of the evening suggested, each musician performing three songs in total, although there were multiple instances of musicians sharing the stage to perform duets. And so, Wallace made way for HOWQUA, an artist who despite major health setbacks has maintained his songwriting practice. He stoked the fire with a new song dedicated to his pet dog companion, sharing his signature captivating and mesmerising vocals juxtaposed against his story-building guitar.
Following on from HOWQUA came Cooper Lower whose expression of the tussle with grief and the human condition bellowed a depth equally confronting, soothing and stirring. Lower has a truth to his music that transcends the rational thinking expected of the contemporary human, rather there is a visceral response like something of an internal rumble that his music draws out.
Lower then introduced O’Shea who showcased his considered lyricism and driving chord progressions. O’Shea spent the year piecing together an EP with famed producer John Castle informed by his ongoing commitment to music inclusive of all the ebbing and flowing that has accompanied it.
It was emerging musician Rupert Bullard that rounded out the cycle of artists performing. Bullard is somewhat of a bard placed within a modern context, having played over 100 shows live, still younger than 20, his songwriting seems to channel the collective voice wading through the muck of a contemporary paradigm. He pays homage to the trueness of folk music, in the essence of what it means and what it stands for.
Five voices, one stage
The artists then cycled through again, as the evening provided the opportunity to witness the distinctive thread that informs any individual’s music, all the while amplifying the uniqueness of each song they shared. This particular phenomenon was an important aspect of the show, as it seems so easy to look past the nuance of an artist when immersed in a full set of their own songs.
Abroms has provided so much for so many artists over the years, bringing to life their music as well as knitting together the framework they require to make and share their creativity in a way that feels authentic to them. Three Songs Each was no exception. It was a night that showcased talent, conviction and how the relational webs inform us all.
The artists featured at the Evelyn Hotel that night are incredibly gifted and driven in their own genuine ways, ones that we should all tune into for varying reasons. The night acted as a reminder to keep the fire burning, adding another log however you can.
For more information, head here.
