Live Review: Dyson, Stringer, Cloher, Leah Flanagan

Mia Dyson, Jen Cloher and Liz Stringer are currently rolling around the country playing approximately a billion shows and should not be missed. Their current state as a three-piece supergroup seems long overdue now that we've had a chance to hear them perform together, and they bring their own individual best work to the table to create a fantastic collaborative experience.

Opening act Leah Flanagan from Darwin has a great voice. Her bright, clear vibrato floated nicely over simple guitar arrangements, and whilst her songs weren't memorable, they were delicate, earnest and pretty.

Opening with Dyson-penned Crazy Horse from their tour EP, the three women ooo-ed, ahh-ed and swayed through an excellent set of material that instantly brought to mind giant folk collaborations like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with expert arrangements highlighting each of their individual strengths dovetailing into soaring three-part harmonies and hooks to die for.

All great collaborations consist of strong separate elements and these three women all draw from distinct and unique styles that shine individually and complement each other well. Cloher represents an earthy, semi-country style of folk music and has a straightforward attitude to her songwriting. Her casual, bucolic vocal style seems instantly familiar and helps to shake off traditional performer/listener roles and invites us into the conversation. Her easy banter between songs was charming and warm. Mount Beauty sounded great and the harmonies on Save Me From What I Want were honey for the ears.

Stringer brought a more sombre component and her rich, plaintive voice was haunting on its own. Natural grace and atmospheric guitar-playing was offset by a bone-dry wit, with the set being punctuated by some cheeky jabs at Dyson's emotional and physical sensitivities. Jokes aside, the breathtaking tenderness of Ain't No Healer stopped hearts.

Dyson, despite staring down the barrel of a 29-show tour, crackled with a raw energy that manifested through some inspired guitar-playing. Gritty fret work and blistering blues licks coalesced into some nice jams (along with dynamite drummer Danny McKenna and Tim Keegan on bass), while some slick down-tempo numbers were helped by some subtle slide-work. Dyson's easy vocal style brightened the mood.

Together these women represent the robust state of a perennially underappreciated folk rock scene in this country, and their excellent collaboration begs the question: why haven't they been doing this all along?