Live Review: Hat Fitz & Cara

Armed with insults and anecdotes, Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson kept the audience entertained at their relaxed and jovial gig, fluidly interjecting their playful tunes with entertaining Aussie and Irish stage banter. The married couple took the piss out of each other throughout their two-hour set, giving the crowd hilarious scenarios before ripping into their trademark blues and roots sound, influencing tapping toes and cheers all round.

Listening to the warm, sweet voice of Robinson – contrasting the beautifully deep rasp of Fitz – was a perfect way to spend a Sunday night. Rusty River displayed the vocal range of the Irish singer, with her soaring vibrato and tin whistle perfection, all building with a stunningly energetic beat of a kick drum; a great piece co-written by the two about Robinson's experience with a wild lady from Belfast.

Fitz displayed his talent on the Bo Carter cover, Twist It Babe, belting out the fun ditty with his room-stopping baritone groove, backed by resonator guitar and his wife working the homemade washboard, equipped with cowbell among other trinkets, to give constant atmospheric percussion. Hat Fitz said the audience were “a nice quiet crowd to play to,” before cracking out some innuendo and sex recounts that went down perfectly in the intimate, friendly space.

Jokes aside, the two are so open about their lifestyle and experiences that the audience were sucked into their life for the night, wanting to hear more of their entertaining but, at times, sad stories. Fitz presented the beautifully real Hold My Hand, telling of the loss of a past marriage and, subsequently, his kids, as he rethinks his life on a mate's couch. It's subject matter that really brings out the desperation in Fitz's distinct sound. Similarly, Robinson's take on Nobody's Fault But Mine had the room hanging on every word as the music momentarily took a backseat to her commanding, Celtic-flavoured voice that had hairs standing on end.

Wiley Ways is the title track of their new record which this tour is celebrating and it showcased all of their skills into one jam-packed blockbuster – washboard percussion, tin whistle, drums, banjo and both their voices in beautiful harmony, making it the all-round highlight of the night. However, the entire experience was enjoyable, with great tunes, beautiful honesty and perfectly placed crapping on making it a suitable end to any week.