Live Review: Lanie Lane - Fly By Night

To kick off the Perth leg of the Bangity Bang national tour, The Warning Birds got the night going with this local four-piece adding a violinist to their normal line-up to give them an enhanced indie folk style. The passionate tones of frontman Sam Carmody blended well with the harmonising vocals of bassist Carmen Pepper throughout, and while technical issues early on were unfortunate, they by no means compromised the mesmerising performance which finished with their single Ghost Town.

Next up was man of the wild Steve Smyth, whose amazing beard and scruffy attire suited his deep growly voice and bluesy style. Smyth's expressive display of emotional intensity in his delivery had the crowd cheering wildly after each song. Mixing up hard-edged blues rock in songs like Hopeless Feminist and Bar Made Blues with a more intimate approach like in the stunning a cappella version of Leadbelly's Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie, Smyth finished off with the audience wanting much, much more.

The lights dimmed once more and Lanie Lane's band – including drums, double bass and lead guitar – came forth and began the intro to What Do I Do, with our starlet sweetheart coming on moments later with poise and grace. Lane's performances are all about her adorable charm, down-to-earth banter between songs, and her enthralling Betty Davis-like quirky vocals. Tonight's songs were mostly taken from her album To The Horses, the jazzy country style of which is so accessible that it was no wonder the age range of the audience spanned at least three decades. Introducing each song by giving a little insight into their meaning or influences, it was difficult not to keep your eyes firmly fixed on Lane's every move, with the splendid cover of The Black Keys' Gold On The Ceiling and a new song Going Places being well-received. The crowd got footloose to Bang Bang and of course the radio hit Oh Well, That's What You Get Falling In Love With A Cowboy. The final encore song Don't Cry featured a traditional jazz-styled drummer-versus-bassist solo battle and, with some final thanks and an invite to party down at the merchandise table, the show sadly came to an end.