Live Review: Mike Noga, Koral Chandler

This chilly Thursday night at Adelaide's much-loved muso haunt, The Grace Emily Hotel, called for a heart-warming and intimate performance. Mike Noga was introducing his new album King, with local Adelaide support Koral Chandler putting on an equally impressive performance.

With dimly coloured lights shadowing the stage, Chandler introduced herself to the crowd. Cracking jokes and smiles, Chandler easily created a playful ambience that set the mood for her entire performance. Chandler's voice is strong yet soft, a unique combination that suited the array of material she performed. She started out playing tunes with her electric guitar but soon switched to acoustic, showcasing her flexibility of genre. Chandler was extremely open with the small-yet-attentive audience, telling personal stories of her childhood that sparked inspiration for her songs.

The highlight of her set was when she played a song called Semaphore, written about the suburb of Adelaide and memories of her family. The song was acoustic and soulful, her vocals melancholic but happy — a bittersweet beauty. Chandler finished off with a cover of Heart Shaped Box, a tune the whole audience was able to sing along to.

The mic was then passed to Mike Noga, who immediately struck the audience with his rustic charm. Noga played a mixture of old and new tunes, introduced King and informing the audience that the album was written to tell a story; a re-imagining of 18th Century tragedy Woyzeck. Noga's vocals, paired with guitar, were simplistic and charming. Picking up a harmonica, he performed Greys To Reds with major chords concealing an underlying melancholy. This was a highlight of the night and, looking around, the audience was fully enthralled with Noga and the music - a truly beautiful moment. Noga told us the album is narrated by Noah Taylor, a unique element of Noga's material that carries the listener along with King's central character Jack. Noga finished with the album closer, which he explains is about "Jack finally coming out of the fog of madness and realising what he's done".