The JezabelsIn the modern age, it's rare to see an established band take up a residency.
Occasionally, you'll see bands play every week for a month, or over a few days, but Sydney darlings, The Jezabels, decided to really embrace a residency by playing seven gigs in seven nights, taking over the recently returned Lansdowne Hotel band room.
Each show of the residency also included a different support act; Big Time had the honours for the final show.
With an 8pm start, The Jezabels were punctual on the low stage of the Lansdowne. The band immediately commenced a low rumble on stage, before frontwoman Hayley Mary took the stage and they launched into the triumphant Mace Spray followed by crowd favourite, Endless Summer. Full props have to go to the sound crew at the venue. Sure, they may have had six previous nights to master the sound, but the mix was perfect. The drums of Nik Kaloper galloped and echoed throughout the room while Sam Lockwood's guitar was mixed just right to allow for Mary's soaring vocal to shine.
Playing so many shows also gives the band the chance to play around with the set and, in particular, play older tracks. The night was one for the OG fans with older numbers including City Girl and the dancing keys of Heather Shannon on Trycolour, but we went even further back to their debut EP, The Man Is Dead and its opening track, Disco Biscuit Love. The audience lapped it up and the band were supremely on form, sounding as good as they ever have, but they have always sounded good, really.
Despite Mary's diminutive size, her voice is anything but. It was powerful and enveloping, wrapping around us like a warm blanket throughout the night along with some solid backing from Shannon. Not much was spoken throughout the night - perhaps it had all been said. Their music did all the talking necessary and as the crowd chanted for an encore after seven sold-out shows, the band appeased one more time with a beautiful rendition of A Little Piece to an adoring room.
