Live Review: Martha Wainwright, Michael Burrows

This theatre has a cosy atmosphere, which is heightened by the sounds emanating from the stage. Michael Burrows is accompanied by a keyboardist and closing track Please Don't Cry boasts a catchy little melody that would definitely suit Neil Finn's voice (Burrows tells us Finn actually features on the recorded version of this song).

Martha Wainwright casually wanders on stage wearing a patterned shirt, miniskirt and killer brown boots (which she effectively uses to stomp out a beat throughout the evening). Her set tonight is new-song heavy (she admits trying them out helps her finish them off) and she's not so fond of introducing songs by name. There are obviously many fans of her mum (Kate McGarrigle) in the house and assorted cheers of recognition go up as each of these songs commence. Wainwright's banter is very generous and we hear that, while road tripping, she once had to leave someone who was losing the plot by the side of the road (she quickly adds that said individual's medication has since been adjusted and he's fine): "For folk musicians we were behaving as if we were in a metal band," she jokes.

When Wainwright pulls faces as she strums the odd bung note on guitar or winces when she realises she's forgotten lyrics, this only serves to further endear us to her. The way she moves is also so distinctive, either swaying rhythmically in an '80s side-step style or marking time with one leg bending up to hip height. We learn that after the release of her last album, Wainwright's husband (producer Brad Albetta) wasn't too thrilled that details of their married life were immortalised in song; she's now moved onto writing songs about her kids, she says, hoping she's still got a coupla years before they realise and drill her out. A punter yells out a request followed by "Please!?" Wainwright asks if she can play another Kate McGarrigle song instead. She then encourages us to "get up and go to the bar". After duct taping some lyrics to the mic stand, Wainwright then gives us a sneak preview of the upcoming A State Of Grace Buckley tribute shows (for which she's in the country), covering Jeff Buckley's Lover, You Should've Come Over.

The audience goes wild when she leaves the stage so an encore is a necessity. This Life is a popular choice and hints toward her earlier confession as a "lazy" songwriter ("There's a song, there's a song/A little country song/It's in my head"). Another yelled-out request leads to Wainwright singing Everything Wrong (a song she tells us is about motherhood). She stumbles on some lyrics here and then closes with Proserpina. It's a touching performance and Wainwright creates intimacy; we feel as if we've been invited into her lounge room for a spontaneous show.