Live Review: Leah Miche, Tashi

The Moon Café – known for everything from knockout Long Island ice teas to out-the-box dessert pizzas – can add “Northbridge’s best music venue” to its ever-expanding “Known for” list. Its Wednesday night Going Solo sessions showcase Perth’s best young talents in front of eager patrons and enthusiastic staffers. Multitalented artist Tashi kicked off the pre-Easter festivities, immediately drawing the buzzing crowd in. Tashi, drummer for Leah Miche’s band The Regular Hunters, presented herself as a tough act to follow. Her hypnotic, Florence Welsh-esque vocals complemented the venue’s alluring atmosphere. Her folk-roots sound made renditions of The Rabbit Hole and One Eye Closed impossible to turn away from.

Tashi herself seemed determined to lap up every moment and get everyone on side. Appealing to the half-attentive crowd, her charmingly soft-spoken persona made for several fun interludes. The rapport between her and one particular group of patrons – clicking and clapping along to each track – balanced out her set’s gripping blues aura. Tashi, displaying a wide array of influences, delivered several spirited covers, among them Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi and Rusted Root’s Send Me On My Way, referring to the latter as: “This is a song from Ice Age… the first one,” and getting heads bopping in unison. Acknowledging Miche’s undying support, Tashi’s renditions of This Monster and Shine A Light further solidified her status as one of Perth’s most enterprising musos.

Leah Miche quietly stepping up to the stage and made a strong impression with a steely Man Or Holy Ghost. The surprisingly dwindling crowd, bewitched by crystal-clear vocals, went berserk for the singer-songwriter’s enigmatic glow. Inside and out, her indie-blues/roots style suited the laidback lounge venue. She, like the surrounding contemporary artworks, provided a miasmic mix of scintillating flourishes and impactful stories. With lyrics like “They’ll only ignite you to find the world that you love is dust,” themes of lost loves and burning desire flowed freely. Miche’s set fused varying solo and Regular Hunters’ vibes. Contrasting Tashi’s catchy folk sound, Miche’s soothing tones dazzled even the drunkest of patrons. Deep Demon Desire and The Jezabels’ Hurt Me confirmed her likeable persona in their soulful, reverb-friendly electric guitar strums and hyperkinetic rhythms.

Miche, drinking in red wine and the café’s uber-positive atmosphere, acknowledged Tashi and the crowd throughout the second half of her set. Cracking several jokes towards the end, Miche eventually struck a balance between charm, soul and raw power. Her searing stage presence helped boost her enthusiastic and engaging performance of Murderer. Digging deep into the emotional core, Miche won everyone over. Her final number, Surreal, gave us a taste of her and her group’s future endeavours, the track’s blues-folk beat elevated by a strong pop-rock aura. The number capped off a saucy evening of fun and frivolity for Moon Café.