Live Review: Thelma Plum, The Starry Field

Thelma Plum

The Starry Field – Mark Myers (The Middle East) – opened with a twee set of personal numbers that had just enough depth to leave a good impression. Nothing in the act warranted a solid gold star on the report card, but for every cringe-worthy metaphor there was another great one lined up, and his sleepy set of graceful alt-country tunes was well received. Overall Myers held court with humility and charm, and the frankness of his songwriting was commendable and warm. There was perhaps a 'surface level' quality to a couple of songs that left this reviewer feeling undernourished, and his quaint delivery at times felt a bit weak sauce, but his honesty shone through. Some of the thematic content was quite brave, and the more intimate the subject matter got, the better he was at expressing it. There was also a sense of escalation in the second half that injected some nice energy. Overall it was a good performance.

The same could be said for 18-year-old Thelma Plum. Any issues with her performance were purely subjective, and that relates to the content more than the execution. As a 32-year-old, you're probably not going to respond to her songs in the same way as another teenager would. There's a natural immaturity to her work that's perfectly acceptable, albeit quite obvious. She sang about busted relationships and shitty ex-partners (aren't we all one of those at some point?) in the way that angsty teens tend to do. There wasn't much variation and it lost its emotional impact towards the end.

That aside, the best parts about her as an artist and a musician are what will stay with her indefinitely. She has a wonderful voice full of character, and her vibrato totally melts your heart. She has a charming nervousness about her, and she's a performer that, as she gets lost in the song, her hands and arms seem to move independently, as if she's pushing the words around in her head with her movements. She has a great relationship with the audience and her stage partner, Andrew Lowden, and projects a unique combination of reticence and moxy, which works well with her songwriting style.

Her high points are what artists strive to achieve throughout entire careers. Watching her fill her songs with her life as she grows will be worth the wait.