Live Review: Katie Noonan's Vanguard

Performing amidst The Garden Of Unearthly Delights in the very intimate Aurora Spiegeltent, Katie Noonan performed before a sold-out crowd. Noonan was in the company of her new three-piece band, which included two members of The Captains – keyboards player Stu Hunter and drummer Declan Kelly – as well as Melbourne guitarist Ben Edgar (Angus & Julia Stone) for her national Peace Is My Drug tour. In celebration of her newly-released single and EP, Peace Is My Drug, the tour also debuted a taste of new material set to be featured on an upcoming album, due for release later this year. 

With a quiet confidence, Noonan instantly lit up the moody tent with the warmth and intensity of her classic, soaring soprano. Continually moving between inspiration drawn from jazz, rock and pop, each song was unique and impossible to categorise. Noonan’s thorough experience in multiple bands as well as a successful solo career shone through on stage, evident in her natural stage presence and relaxed manner, as the audience were treated to the personal stories behind each song, or simply small ramblings. Although a crowd obliged to remain seated restricted movement and dancing, listeners were enthralled and completely immersed in the gentle glow emanating from the stage. Lights danced over the audience in warm purple and orange, matching Noonan’s emotive performance. Sharing a collection of songs that included both upcoming releases and old favourites, such as Sweet One, co-written with her friend, Adelaide’s own Sia, the crowd were polite, intrigued and delighted to see all the sides Noonan had on offer. 

What distinguishes Noonan’s performance is an effortless ability to carry a song with her strong-yet-unmistakably elegant vocals. Uniquely paired with alternative rock instrumentation, perhaps most evident in the brooding track Time, Noonan created a powerful movement in each song through that captivating, silky voice. Noonan’s storytelling and the poetic foundations of her music very much represent her as an artist. The EP’s title track is based on the poem, Peace, by Michael Leunig and features a second verse written by Leunig exclusively for the song. The closing track tonight, Page One, also had poetic roots, wandering through themes of love and potential.

Noonan and the band polished off the night with humble “thank you”s to those involved in the development of their new musical chapter, especially thanking the audience and assuring a return to “Radelaide” for the album launch because, let’s be honest, she loves it here. Noonan’s upcoming album is set to be soul-nourishing and tantalising for the senses, showcasing how far Noonan has come as an ambitious independent Australian artist.