Nai Palm visited Adelaide for a special and intimate one-off show at the Nexus Arts Centre. Traditionally a cabaret venue, the Nexus' seating had been removed in favour of a less formal arrangement.
There was already a decent crowd of eager fans inside as Melbourne singer-songwriter Cosima Jaala took the stage. It is really a testament to Adelaide's temperament that if you give attendees an intimate locale with carpeted floors and relaxing music that 95% of the audience will elect to sit cross-legged on the floor. Appearing for the first time in Adelaide, Jaala (also of Mangelwurzel) took us through a short selection of songs written for the band of her namesake. Adorably shrill and expressive, it was her voice, guitar and onstage wit that had the crowd wrapped in her presence. With an imaginative and quirky take on playing the guitar it is Jaala's ability to create vocal poly-rhythms over her sharp guitar licks that is quite inspiring, and technically astounding when it was done with such relative ease. Jaala is certainly a superbly strong creative talent. It is worth seeing her perform regardless of which project it may be.
Off the back of the hyper successful and jam-packed sophomore record Choose Your Weapon it's certainly humbling to have singer Nai Palm visit Adelaide for a one-off solo show where we are able to see a stripped back version of Hiatus Kaiyote songs, as well as learn their roots. Palm was mesmerising, weaving a mix of influential covers and Hiatus Kaiyote songs into a superbly seamless set. The audience had increased by about 20% since Jaala had left the stage, and those who weren't seated cross -legged in awe were dancing with smooth abandon. Palm's humble nature and sweet composure was comforting and welcoming. The show was almost like a sleepy children's story time — to render a room full of adults into that state is certainly worth commending. Those who have listened to Hiatus Kaiyote would know full well that Palm has an amazing voice, but it is in a live setting that it goes from impressive to astounding. Comparisons can be drawn to Amy Winehouse in terms of expression and execution, but there is an extra element of progression and experimentation that puts Palm in a league of her own. Nai Palm is one of Australia's finest talents.
