AdalitaMelbourne-based duo The Dark Fair purportedly met around the traps of the Brisbane scene so we can possibly claim them for our own following tonight's more than sturdy introduction. Featuring the pairing of Ramona Moore (vocals/guitar) and Eleanor Dunn (drums/vocals), they offer up a moody dynamic with lots of reverb – it's all mid-tempo and kinda sulky rather than sultry, but with enough character bleeding into the songs to keep things interesting.
The One Thing is more dynamic and laden with hooks, and Let Yourself Be Free continues the tempo build with its fuzzed-out stomp, their set proving to be both a fine introduction to the band and a fitting opening gambit for tonight's proceedings.
Soon the eternally debonair Adalita takes the stage on her lonesome to introduce us to the second chapter of her solo career, having put her decades fronting legendary Geelong rockers Magic Dirt behind her back in 2011 with the release of her self-titled debut album.
She opens with Invite Me from that record; the way she spits the line “bullshit stories” so sneeringly dismissive, the singer still so aloof and possessing so much effortless charisma. She's armed with just guitar and pedals tonight, but the lack of a band doesn't lessen her impact one jot, nor does the fact that the packed crowd before her are savouring red wine rather than necking rivers of beer like in the days of yore.
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New song Trust Is Rust – from impending sophomore effort All Day Venus – is introduced as “a warning not to get involved in love triangles”, while another new cut Blue Sky is feisty despite its innocuous title, a self-affirming power ballad. She throws in the angsty and brooding The Repairer to restore some familiarity to proceedings, before moving on to new song He Wrote, a touching ode to lost love which requires a little help from Eleanor from The Dark Fair on tambourine to stop things descending into chaos.
Adalita seems chuffed with the new album, explaining that it's more of a band affair this time around, before returning to older fare with Fool Around and Hot Air, which is dedicated to John Butler's roadie Steph Popoff who sadly passed away last week. The songs are all stoic and strong and drawn-out and defiant, Dunn returning again to help with Jewel Thief before new song Heavy Cut is aired, a passionate and powerful tune that sees Adalita in all her glory: discordant, dishevelled but utterly dignified.
She brings proceedings to a close with an epically elongated version of Goin Down, hitting clave sticks over loops for nearly the duration before grabbing her guitar and manipulating pedals to bring things home in a blaze of dramatic glory. It's incredibly hard to hold a crowd by yourself in such a fashion, but tonight she smashes it into the ground: part survivor, part savant, pure Adalita.
