Live Review: Glen Hansard & The Frames, Lisa Hannigan

Both local and international musicians hold the Sydney Opera House in high esteem. It is a pinnacle to be reached, and an honour to play in. Whether it is the beauty of the building itself or its worldwide reputation, it appears that musicians strive to deliver their best when playing there. Last night's performances by Lisa Hannigan and Glen Hansard & The Frames were no exceptions. Those lovely Irish lads and lass put on an absolutely spectacular show that saw the audience moved to silence in one song and clapping and dancing through the next.

Lisa Hannigan warmed up the crowd with a beautiful solo set which bounced between her two albums Sea Sew and Passenger. From the first song, Little Bird, her hauntingly wispy vocals, which would so gracefully ascend into pitch perfect highs, captivated the audience entirely. Safe Travels (Don't Die) was a crowd favourite, with many people chuckling along to the very tongue-in-cheek song and she closed the set with a beautiful rendition of A Sail, supported by The Frames.

It's hard to condense Glen Hansard & The Frames' set into this tiny space. The band powered through nearly three hours of songs, ranging from acoustic solos from Hansard's 2005 film Once like Leave and Say It To Me Now, to rapturous, brass-filled, blues-inspired numbers like Low Rising and Fitzcarraldo. Hansard's passionate cover of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and cheeky reference to Aretha Franklin's birthday through his version of Respect were definitely crowd favourites, as was the wonderfully simple duet he and Hannigan did of Woody Guthrie's Vigilante Man. Hannigan also joined the band for an unplugged version of Gold and Falling Slowly, blending herself so well into the songs it seemed that they were made for her to sing. 

The concert concluded with the band singing outside of the concert hall and in the concourse as audience members started to leave. It was a truly remarkable way to end a show that easily gave the Opera House a run for its money in terms of splendour.