Live Review: The Waifs, Heath Cullen

Opening up the floor with a captivating performance was Heath Cullen, whose smooth and mellow vibes were just enough to tantalise the appetite for the much-anticipated sounds of WA's The Waifs.

It's always a treat for the senses watching The Waifs. It's almost like they take you on a musical journey through both their personal and musical lives. They're not afraid to show their softer side and reveal that, like the rest of us, they are only human, which is why their fans have such a deep affection for them. For many fans it seemed as though The Waifs would never grace the stage again and that the way of the future was The Stray Sisters, a musical duo consisting of Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn. As dedicated fans of The Waifs know, their relationships have faced turbulent times, but at the end of the day their shared passion for music brought the trio back together (lucky for us). So it was great to see Josh Cunningham back on stage 'swooning' the crowd with his magnificent beard, with Adelaide boy David Macdonald joining them on drums for their sold out show at The Gov.

Starting their two-hour set with the cheerful Day Dreamer, a song from their most recent album, Temptation, everyone knew they were in for a treat. As a band who have been on the road for much of their musical career it's songs like Feeling Sentimental and When I Die that make you realise how difficult it would be to be away from your home and loved ones. A couple of new songs, one heavily featuring the beautiful vocals of Josh Cunningham, made the audience excited for a possible new release in the not too distant future. Always a crowd-pleaser is Thorn's mastery in the art of the harmonica, especially when it's joined with Cunningham cranking out a guitar solo in the lead-up to Crazy Train, which made the crowd get their dancing shoes on.

Most regular punters will cringe when they hear bands say “Adelaide, you are my favourite city” or something along those lines. However Simpson's take on this made the whole audience chuckle as she remarked that Adelaide is not her favourite city but she loves it for our free trolleys at the airport, loads of free Wi-Fi spots and our 24/7 delis, definitely a great selling point to other touring bands and South Australia's tourism industry in general.

The Waifs welcomed Heath Cullen back on stage to join them for a couple of songs before the end of their set. However, when it was all over it wasn't enough for the revelling audience, who cheered them back on stage for another few songs, ending this beautiful night with the ever-apt song, Beautiful Night. Let's just hope it won't be another three years until our next beautiful night with this charming trio.