The valley was packed with people in lederhosen and gingham on their way to Oktoberfest on Saturday night, but I was on my way to a different pleasure – Lisa Mitchell at the Woolly Mammoth, in support of her new album Warriors. The show wasn’t quite sold out, and I had heard mixed reviews on her live performance prior to this tour, however, I was excited to see for myself, and I was glad that I did.

Dean Lewis, Sydney singer-songwriter opened the night. I’m usually very picky about which male vocalists I like, but the timbre of Dean’s voice hit the nail right on the head. The combination of his rich, expressive voice, paired with his metaphorical and lyric heavy indie folk/pop songs was the perfect combination, and gained the attention of the slightly bored audience, (perhaps his “sex-god” long hair was a contributor to that as well). Mostly playing acoustic guitar, he opened with single Chemicals, which had very clever lyrics and drew the audience in with its authenticity. Halfway through his set he switched to piano, showing his versatility as a musician. He switched back to guitar for his final song of the night, Waves, which was another crowd puller. With a performance like that as a small name musician, Dean Lewis is going to go places.

BUOY was the second opener for the night, and was an excellent match for Lisa’s sound, having played in her band in prior lineups. I was almost as in love with her curly blonde hair as I was with her incredible voice. BUOYS sound was filled with ample synths and loops and cascading vocals, and for a one-woman show, created a significant sound force. Her intoxicating vocals and layered synths and loops wouldn’t have been out of place at Splendour in the Grass, as I was definitely getting MDMA vibes from her songs. One of the highlights of her set was song Exit, which she described as a song about a relationship with no relaxation. However, some of her songs seemed a bit disjointed and hard to follow — perhaps with a full band, the “out of time” effect would be amplified and seem more intentional. She finished her set with single Clouds and Rain, which was an excellent display of her incredible vocal range and ability.

Lisa Mitchell came to the stage at about 10.45, dressed in fitted glittery pants, a sequinned blue leotard, white chucks, and a vocal mic clipped to her ear. Wasting no time, she opened with new track Warhol, and then into main single from her new record The Boys, both of which were paired with her signature cutesy dance moves. In the initial few songs, she seemed a bit shy and apprehensive, and the unresponsive crowd was no help. The majority of the crowd was just standing and staring, whether this was the new material, or just a general lack of energy I’m not sure. 

Going into Coin Laundry and Stevie, she seemed more confident, which was good to see, and the audience reacted to the newfound energy in the room, dancing along with her awkward moves and singing along to the choruses. After introducing the band, she left the stage to flashing strobe lights and a big drum/guitar riff, and came back on with a mic on a stand, sans face mic. After this switch she seemed noticeably more confident and happy to be performing. So Wild prompted big, strong vocals from her, and Pirouette saw some people in the audience lightening up, doing their own pirouettes and swaying along to the music. BUOY then joined the stage again for Josephine. The combination of Lisa’s soft vocals and BUOY’s piercing soprano vocals was oddly chilling, and added an ominous feeling to her arrangement, which was different and cool.

She picked up an acoustic guitar for a solo performance of What Is Love, before the band came back on, filling the room with sound for crowd favourite Spiritus. Lisa picked up an electric guitar for Oh Hark!, which was the highlight of the night, prompting an audience sing-along in the hook, and a shredding guitar solo from one of the band members in the middle. The atmosphere was at its peak during this song, and whilst the energy felt fragile, it also felt pure and soft, like her songs. BUOY came back on for the final song, I Remember Love, which saw an a capella outro finish the night.

The crowd required a bit of an amp up for an encore — I almost felt sorry for Lisa. She didn’t play Neopolitan Dreams as expected, but instead played final track from the new album Love Death X, which featured some ominous chords and synth beats, and older single Clean White Love, which saw a return of the same energy as during Oh Hark!. 

Although she was perhaps a bit shy and within herself, especially for a seasoned musician and performer, I felt that those qualities are often overlooked, and instead created a magical atmosphere that felt so fragile and pure. The softness of her performance made it more personal and intimate, and I think it would have translated better at a different venue that was more personal. Besides that (and the unresponsive audience) I feel like it was still a really good show, and its really awesome to see her branching out into different stuff. Lisa Mitchell has come so far over the last ten years and I feel like there is still a long way for her to come. 

- Olivia Shoesmith