Live Review: Jen Cloher, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Dark Fair - Shebeen Bandroom

This venue’s roughed-up shanty town vibes work their charm as we head down into the basement bandroom for what is starting to feel like an illicit meeting with some fine Melbourne bands. Dark Fair, a duo comprised of Ramona Moore and Eleanor Dunn, are already loudly rocking out. Their sound is lean but fierce as they put a contemporary spin on classic rock sounds. Just a little jagged around the edges, these girls come at the audience with an abundance of infectious energy.

A few punters were probably expecting the noticeable amount of ladies milling around the bandroom to hop on stage and give us some choral action. But The East Brunswick All Girls Choir are not choristers, it’s a band and arguably one of the better bands Melbourne has spawned in recent years. The quartet deal a kind of late ‘90s, post-grunge sound that comes tempered with blues and country influences. The outfit plays it tight, dealing extended versions of tunes off their most recent album, Seven Drummers. Frontman Marcus Hobbs delivers his poetic lyrics with a certain passion. The loud thump and grinding distortion of Dirty Bird provides a satisfying climax to a thoroughly rewarding set.

Its smartphone photo time as Jen Cloher hits the stage to acknowledge her fans. Cloher and her band delight as they quickly give us Mount Beauty and Toothless Tiger. Tonight’s setlist is comprised mainly of tunes from last year’s In Blood Memory set. She celebrates the release of her new single Stone Age Brain and includes the B-side, which is a classy cover of The Loved Ones’ Sad Dark Eyes.

In between songs, Cloher acknowledges that she has not been touring much lately because her guitarist Courtney Barnett had the cheek to release an internationally successful album that has resulted in demand for her to tour the world. It’s a quietly hilarious moment that has everyone giggling. Name In Lights is a ferocious workout, which breaks down into a riff that recalls Crimson And Clover. Numbers – a rather sweet duet between Cloher and Barnett – softens the mood ahead of the heartbreak of Hold My Hand that closes the show. These days there are a lot of girls with guitars pedalling their songwriting wares, but what distinguishes Cloher is that distinctively Aussie-rock sound she achieves so effortlessly.