Live Review: Lisa Mitchell, East

A touch of silver tinsel makes Howler’s bandroom sparkle for Lisa Mitchell’s retro space-themed Wah Ha acoustic tour. The intimate show begins with East, who instantly capture our attention with a fresh, indie-pop sound full of charm and an infectious smile. The talented, young, emerging artist shares her unreleased material that has a chilled vibe, packed with electro-pop hooks and soulful vocals. Her debut single Old Age, performed acoustically, provides a perfect introduction as she sings, “I’m a young blood with an old heart and eyes that see more than they should”. Her wisdom and maturity actually make us feel pretty old (she’s only 16 years old).

A vintage cassette player and tapes are lined up on the stage as Lisa Mitchell arrives, shining head to toe with sequins, jewels and shimmering silver shoes. With an acoustic guitar in hand, she draws the silent room to a complete standstill with The Land Beyond The Front Door and then down the rabbit hole with a ‘90s pop version of Alice In Wonderland. Mitchell pops her first cassette tape in and hits play on a Sade number to please her dad in the audience tonight and also to accompany a new track. She tells us to be imaginative as she continues to share a listening session of her new album that she’s in the process of recording.

The sound of coins trickle as another tape is queued up and loops in the background for the infectious Coin Laundry, a song she explains came about from a boring afternoon of washing. An acoustic reworking of Bless This Mess starts off a bit of a mess, with disjointed parts, but is picked right back up with the delightful Pirouette as Mitchell repositions herself comfortably behind the piano. After a few off notes, the songstress explains she’s on the downer of her up and downs. To liven the mood, she prepares us for a singalong to the uplifting Spiritus with its tropical sounds that transport us to a Caribbean island. A round of guests join Mitchell on stage in a circular formation around the microphone. The group lend their voices for an impressive a cappella version of Wah Ha, learnt only the night before.

A final cassette tape of the eerie David Bowie track Andy Warhol introduces her final encore of one more new song. The gentle tune is yet another taste of Mitchell’s light and dreamy sound from her upcoming album, which she announces is due out later in the year.