The Waifs @ The Palais, Melbourne (24/10/2015)
The Waifs are pure aural delight for lovers of Blues and Roots. They play raw, stomping, raucous, story-telling alternative country and blues and they play it even better live than in the studio.
Opening with a track off their latest album, the seventh for the West Australian trio, The Waifs had the audience at The Palais in the palms of their hands as they crooned through Come Away with trademark blues swagger. It was fairly apparent it was predominantly long-term fans who've followed the career of the Albany outfit from its infancy present in the audience of the old St Kilda theatre. The booming blues voice of Vikki Thorn is matched only by her harmonica skills. The gut-wrenching soul of those bluesy sliding notes, the quivering vibrato, is simply breathtaking and never better than on crowd favourite London Still. The 2001 ARIA-charting singalong was written and performed by the other half of the sister duo of The Waifs, Donna Simpson, whose voice is distinguishable by its husky break and Aussie twang. Dark Highway was Josh Cunningham's first turn at the lead, a song about being stranded on a long, lonesome road. Providing the XY chromosomal set of the trio, the bearded troubador sings with a fire-side warmth of the same design as Paul Kelly. |
Another crowd favourite comes when Vikki regales us with the girls' Grandmother's journey to the United States to meet her Yankee sailor man. On that Bridal Train, first released in 2004, many a “war bride leaves the Southern Land” for a new life in “the home of the brave and the land of the free”. This is a fine example of The Waifs purest version of a country ballad.
Before re-telling the loved and timeless tale, Vikki noted the correct lyrics, misquoted on the album sleeve by a well-meaning scribe, in what is one example of their easy, personal onstage chat.
Beautiful You, a ballad Donna wrote about the meth addiction strangling friends of hers, was another taste of the latest Waifs album of the same name. Another cut came in the first encore of the evening, in 6 Thousand Miles, Vikki's love song to the home country. February was written about her favourite time of year in Australia, and the most miserable in her new home of Utah.
Homesickness aside, The Waifs are clearly in their element in their bi-coastal lifestyles betweent the States and Australia, and any Americana influence isn't hurting their brand of folk.
A particularly electric live moment at The Palais happened between Josh and special guest Mia Dyson, who is opening for the band on this Australian tour. Playing what Donna described as a 'blues-gospel' tune, Josh and Mia shredded their way through killer guitar solos in a display of fine artistic chemistry.
During an interlude with just the original trio on stage, joined by violinist and old friend Jen Anderson, Gillian prompted a stirring singalong. And of course, the setlist wouldn't have been complete without stomping renditions of the likes of Lighthouse and Fisherman's Daughter off 2003's Up All Night.
The Waifs left The Palais stage with the echoes of the hand-clapping, knee-slapping Crazy Train ringing in our ears, and a nostalgia for the simple pleasures of a good harmony and a banjo.
Rebecca McCann
Before re-telling the loved and timeless tale, Vikki noted the correct lyrics, misquoted on the album sleeve by a well-meaning scribe, in what is one example of their easy, personal onstage chat.
Beautiful You, a ballad Donna wrote about the meth addiction strangling friends of hers, was another taste of the latest Waifs album of the same name. Another cut came in the first encore of the evening, in 6 Thousand Miles, Vikki's love song to the home country. February was written about her favourite time of year in Australia, and the most miserable in her new home of Utah.
Homesickness aside, The Waifs are clearly in their element in their bi-coastal lifestyles betweent the States and Australia, and any Americana influence isn't hurting their brand of folk.
A particularly electric live moment at The Palais happened between Josh and special guest Mia Dyson, who is opening for the band on this Australian tour. Playing what Donna described as a 'blues-gospel' tune, Josh and Mia shredded their way through killer guitar solos in a display of fine artistic chemistry.
During an interlude with just the original trio on stage, joined by violinist and old friend Jen Anderson, Gillian prompted a stirring singalong. And of course, the setlist wouldn't have been complete without stomping renditions of the likes of Lighthouse and Fisherman's Daughter off 2003's Up All Night.
The Waifs left The Palais stage with the echoes of the hand-clapping, knee-slapping Crazy Train ringing in our ears, and a nostalgia for the simple pleasures of a good harmony and a banjo.
Rebecca McCann