By the time the curtain opened for The Jezabels, the sold-out Corner bandroom was full, a number of people wearing ‘I’m So Hard’ merch t-shirts. The crowd surged with excitement as The Jezabels walked onto the stage and took their places. Singer Hayley Mary looked stunning in solid black and her long, dark fringe flipped back and forth across her face. There were a number of audience members, both male and female, that shouted declarations of love for the Byron Bay native throughout the set.
She remained stoic, though, and Heather Shannon’s first eerie piano chords weaved through the venue. The band were swathed in spotlight, and Mary’s leather jacket was quick to come off in the heat of the light and the exertion of her dancing as she waved her spindly limbs around unselfconsciously. All four members of the bass-less band were wearing black and white clothes, which made them look incredibly streamlined and coordinated.
When drummer Nik Kaloper played the first few bars of Easy To Love, the level of noise from the crowd immediately rose a notch. This was only the third song but Mary sung with complete earnestness, her eyes closed and mic moved out of the way so that she could move around the stage. Already the audience knew that they were receiving all the Jezabels could give, and were gave their rapt attention in return. After skolling half a bottle of water, Mary thanked us all for coming and thanked both of the support acts. “They put on a great show!” she enthused.
Hurt Me was another track that received rapturous applauseand a girl in front of me turned to her friend to exclaim that she loves this song. The Jezabels didn’t disappoint – after the first few solemn bars, Kaloper and his wildly thrashing rhythm sticks kicked in before retreating once more to highlight Mary’s phenomenal voice.
For Mace Spray (which came in at number 16 on last year’s Triple J Hottest 100), guitarist Samuel Lockwood begged the crowd to clap and his obvious enthusiasm was so catchy that everyone joined in. But then, Mary announced that the following song would be their last.
After a few minutes, they returned to the stage for two more songs. The familiar piano chords open She’s So Hard, and are followed by Mary saying, “I think we should play one more song to say goodbye.” The audience leaves in awe – great songs, great musicianship, a gorgeous lead singer and they’re Aussie to boot.
