Last Friday night ANU Bar was successfully rocked by the petite Kiwi lass, Pip Brown, aka: Ladyhawke. Some of you may recall a certain music festival late last year, where punters were left waiting in the rain for half an hour, eagerly awaiting Ladyhawke’s set to begin; but she never showed. No explanation was given to the wet and cold fans that miserable November evening. We later found out she had been struck by a nasty illness, but the whole fiasco had left me, and other Canberra fans with a bitter taste in our mouths. However Ladyhawke redeemed herself last Friday night with her heartfelt and enthusiastic performance at ANU Bar.
The night of alternative rock began with support act All The Colours warming up the bar. Their songs had a classic rock sound with a hint of flamenco flair. The four members were looking rather dapper in suits and bow ties and lead singer Josh Moriarty (also the front-man of Miami Horror) successfully drew in a rather sizeable crowd, who were happily bopping and jumping along to the catchy tunes. Their latest single ‘Love Like This’ received an enthusiastic response from punters in the crowd.
Once All The Colours had finished their set and the crowd had quenched their thirsts, it was time for Ladyhawke’s set to begin. This time she was punctual and even offered an apology for her no-show last time she was supposed to perform in the capital. If I hadn’t already forgiven her by then, her endearing Kiwi accent and modest stage presence on Friday night certainly won me over.
Despite her small stature, Pip Brown belted out her tunes with surprising power, rocking the audience and shaking the foundations of the bar. The drums were loud, and the lady certainly knew her way around an electric guitar.
Ladyhawke humbly thanked the crowd after each song; there were no diva antics on show. In fact she was down to earth and fairly obliging. When the crowd begged her to sing ‘White Rabbit’ (which she had performed on Triple J earlier during their ‘Like a Version’ segment), she belted out the vocally challenging classic during her encore, and delivered it as perfectly as she had on the radio.
The crowd also went wild when she sang her debut hit from 2008 ‘Paris is Burning’. All mouths were moving as the crowd sang – or rather shouted – along to the catchy tune. However, the standout moment of Ladyhawke’s performance had to be her final song during the encore; ‘My Delirium’, another hit single from her 2008 album that received heavy air-play on Triple J, and even landed itself number 11 on the Triple J Hottest 100.
Yes, it was a great evening of alternative rock at ANU Bar. All The Colours introduced a touch of class to the bar with their debonair rock, and I think it’s safe to say Ladyhawke successfully won back the hearts of her Canberra fans, not that she ever left them completely anyway!
