Live Review: Hurray For The Riff Raff, Caitlin Harnett

Just as the dust began to clear from the recent Out On The Weekend festival another current leading light of the scene hit town with band in tow to mesmerise audiences. Caitlin Harnett, a local star on the rise, performed the opening honours for the evening with her new backing band Shaky Town and they set the scene beautifully. Only their second gig as a full band, there was a hint of tentativeness and exchanged glances through the set but musically they complemented Harnett’s country-tinged folk exceptionally well. Piano and organ in particular fleshed out her songs yet her pure, lilting voice was still in sharp focus, harnessing sweet melancholy like loneliness on the wind.

Hurray For The Riff Raff have had a successful year with their critically acclaimed album Small Town Heroes and a ton of touring. Sydney benefited from being at the end of the year’s touring schedule with the band sounding incredibly tight with little effort, highlighted by a near perfect mix in the best sounding live room in town. Arriving onstage, Alynda Lee Segarra serenaded us before the band joined her for 80 minutes of music that swung from folk to country, surf to New Orleans-soaked roots music. Segarra is small in stature yet she possesses a voice that can conjure up great emotion and intensity when required. Album tracks such as The Body Electric and I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright) showcased her ability to marry sweet melodies with weightier lyrical content. It was conscious folk with a message, such as Segarra’s tribute to Mike Brown, yet she still knew how to put on a show that drew the audience in and made them feel part of the experience via hand-claps and sing-alongs. This was a joyous performance both professional and intimately communal.