Live Review: Neko Case, Dick Diver

The sun filters through the eucalyptus trees as the last of the straggling crowd file through the turnstiles of Melbourne Zoo for the penultimate weekend of 2014's Zoo Twilights series. Birdsong fills the air as adventurous kids try to get a glimpse of the lion enclosure, young parents shouting encouragement to their charges. Although the Zoo is closed to the general public, this evening's event has a festive feel to it. Babies stare wide-eyed at the greenery as their parents prepare to enjoy some swell music.

Local troupe Dick Diver strum their first chord at precisely 7pm. It's a short half-hour set, but one that perfectly showcases their jangly Australiana. Sprinkled through their setlist are New Start Again, Lime Green Shirt and highlight Water Damage (“This one's for the otters,” drummer Steph Hughes admits).

At 8pm on the dot – seriously, aside from the iffy burgers the logistics of this show are tight – the irrepressible Neko Case and band take to the stage. Even sprawled on a picnic blanket at the back of the crowd it's hard to miss her cascading red hair. And, even if on close inspection a few greys might be visible, she is totally swoonworthy. Kicking off her set with This Tornado Loves You from her 2009 album Middle Cyclone, Case's (at times off-key) vocal brings an added sense of authenticity to her songs. Lion's Jaws and The Tigers Have Spoken, while not acknowledged by the big cats themselves, are nonetheless received with enthusiasm by the crowd, as is one of the picks of the bunch, That Teenage Feeling.

The sound is good without being great, and Case's band do a solid job of backing her voice. The between-song banter leaves a bit to be desired, as neither Case nor her backing vocalist Kelly Hogan are particularly funny and the jokes seem a little alienating to those not in the band or the front few rows of the audience. Case is believable when she espouses the beauty of the location; sure she has played prettier venues, but Melbourne Zoo is hardly a dive bar and the families and friends enjoying their wine and BYO snacks lap up everything she has to offer.

Including a two-song encore (Maybe Sparrow going down an absolute treat), Case's entire show lasts a mere 70 minutes, which leaves a sense of unfulfilled promise. That aside, it's a truly enjoyable show in a gorgeous setting.