Ben LeeSeasoned Australian musician Ben Lee took to the stage at Oxford Art Factory on Wednesday night to showcase his latest album Love Is The Great Rebellion as well as his endearing, obvious passion for sharing music with others.
Young Brisbane local, Sahara Beck, wooed the mellow crowd first. Beck's dramatic flair, impressive set of pipes and quirky brand of folk-rock stirred the notably older crowd that was gathering and set a playful tone for the night ahead.
Lee's 90-minute set was intimate, at times pensive and quiet then spirited and light-hearted. Lee made it clear that he doesn't take himself too seriously as a self-proclaimed "rock and roller", who makes feel good music about love and self-enquiry.
Love Is The Great Rebellion is Lee's tenth studio album since his music career began at the tender age of 14. Two decades later, he still has the playful energy of someone who genuinely loves sharing his music, and his bubbly, upbeat pop songs are undeniably charming.
The album is full of "perennial truths", that Lee had the crowd chant back at him, creating moments that felt like a motivational talk rather than your standard gig. If Lee's lyrics to the new track Happiness, which repeats "Happiness creates happiness," didn't get the crowd smiling then they surely would have been won over when Lee invited his 70-year-old mother up on stage to play the ukulele during Big Love.
The night ended in an appropriate fashion, with Lee standing on top of a barrel down on the dancefloor while the crowd swayed and sung along to the familiar lyrics of We're All In This Together. It's safe to say that over his 30-year career, Lee hasn't forgotten what it takes to make an audience feel all warm'n'fuzzy.
