Live Review: Jack River

This was the final night of The Sugar Mountain Ball tour and undoubtedly the best, if the mutual adoration between band and crowd was anything to go by.

The stage was decked out with rose petals, part of the ‘prom night’ theme. As anticipation mounted, Johnny Cash’s version of (Ghost) Riders In The Sky boomed loudly over the sound system and the band finally arrived on stage in kitsch outfits in keeping with the tour theme. As the opening notes of Fields rang out, singer Jack River, aka Holly Rankin, emerged from the shadows, microphone in hand, taking her place at front of stage. 

Next up was Confess and the crowd sang along, loudly. This continued for most of the evening and Rankin was clearly revelling in the moment. Everyone was invited to “sing along to every word” for her cover of Savage Garden’s classic ballad Truly Madly Deeply (we did), and we did the same for Ballroom, Adolescent and the highlight of the night, Fault Line.

Rankin was beaming for most of the show, but also took time to give some context behind the songs, including the personal tragedy she’s had to overcome with the loss of a family member years ago. Head To Stars was dedicated to her father, who had travelled from Foster in New South Wales to be at the show.

We were also treated to Sugar – a song Rankin recorded with “two cheeky boys from Canberra” (Peking Duk) – and the sublime Fool’s Gold. After an hour, the band retired for a very brief intermission before returning for a two-song encore, the ‘’slow song’’ Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby and the much more upbeat Palo Alto.

Jack River is a class act and tonight the performance (and the sound mix) was perfect. With an amazing voice and immense star quality, Rankin is one to watch.