Hein CooperArmed with a keyboard, some nifty loop pedals and a heavenly voice, Ed Wells eased us into the beginning of the long weekend. Feeling tired, the audience chose to be seated on the floor, watching intently as Wells showed off his superb musical skill. The saxophone made an appearance and we were sold, Wells ending his set on a high note with single Sparrow And Seed.
The crowd once again remained seated for folk songstress Bec Sandridge. Unaided by her band, she donned an electric guitar in an effort to look rock'n'roll, treating us to an enjoyable set. She quirkily hopped around the stage as she got lost in the sound of her music. While retreating to nervous-chatter mode in between songs, Sandridge provided some funny commentary between tracks Cars and In The Fog, In The Flame.
Finally, the audience felt brave enough to stand as Hein Cooper graced us with his presence. This evening's set was dedicated to launching his new album The Art Of Escape, which provided a set highlight early on with older track The Real.
Cooper has one of those effortless voices that you're instantly jealous of, while instrumentalist/qualified lawyer Luke Liang is just crazy-talented and Nick Meredith looked mighty fine while playing some sweet beats. Together their performance was faultless, but I couldn't help feeling like there was something missing.
Cooper elegantly covered Kayne's Runaway, which was a pleasant surprise for the crowd, but you could tell they came to hear Rusty (mostly because they kept mentioning it) and The Art Of Escape, which ended the set.
Truthfully, the lack of crowd vibe was disappointing, as Cooper and co had so much talent to offer. Call me cynical, but this tarnished an otherwise excellent show.
