Live Review: Megan Washington, Simon Relf

A humbly warming set by Simon Relf of The Tambourine Girls was played to an already relatively large crowd who were well and truly settling themselves in for the night. 

It's a real wonder Megan Washington still has the energy to sing as beautifully as she does; after a surreal Splendour In The Grass set, she's now smack bang in the middle of her national Tangents tour.  

"I've got in front of me a list of songs I know how to play solo... sort of."

Accompanied by only an electric piano and a never-empty glass of red wine, Washington's personality resonated through her playful onstage banter as well as her music. Even starting a 'word tennis'-like game between the stage and the audience, somehow working into a sentence "Neil Young", "strippers" and "brothel". Her sharp wit was only rivalled by her effortlessly flawless voice. The intimate venue gave rise to some of the more vocal in the crowd, with Washington describing us as "vibey" between throwing light shade on persistently raucous audience members and telling anecdotes about seedy bars.

The intimate vibes were only emphasised by the set itself. Old favourites How To Tame Lions and Clementine made an appearance, interspersed with a couple of brand new songs: "If I see a single phone recording this I will take your phone, hack into your Facebook and like your ex's photos from 2006." Relf made several appearances on stage, both topping up Washington's wine glass as well as filling in as a human capo.

The entire night held an air of spontaneity as Washington cast a spell over the audience, captivating them to hang on her every word. Singalongs gave a choral element to hits like The Hardest Part, while a story about a drunk man and a Wii set the scene for nostalgic ballad The Belly Of The Whale. Washington finished off with her 2009 track Cement.

The crowd kept up awe-inspired applause before she reappeared on stage to attempt the requested Five And Ten, eventually giving up and cheerfully bopping her way through Rich Kids. 

An artist's personality really makes a difference to how they're received. A sense of humour accompanied by a flawless display of talent is always a top-notch combo. Washington, if that's you only "sort of" knowing how to play a solo show, then us significantly less-talented folk are left without a hope in the world.