Live Review: Waxahatchee, Ali Barter, Jen Buxton

Jen Buxton opened the night with songs eschewing conventional structure and unfolding as stories. An understated cover of Cory Branan’s Crush featured before the tender Old Friends. She dedicated the lovely Get Drunk, Text Linc to her husband, after their comically misdirected trip into Sydney. Buxton was self-deprecating, telling jokes about herself with charm as the crowd settled in and got comfortable. 

Ali Barter opened with gorgeous, reverb-drenched down strokes and powerful vocals. Soon after, however, came some equipment problems that marred her set. At Sea and Community had stilted starts as a result, but their brilliance still came through, with Barter able to stay loose and keep it together. A cover of Foo Fighters’ Tired Of You was strong. The majority of the set featured unreleased songs from the forthcoming AB-EP. Gear troubles were a real disappointment then, as those songs sound like something really promising is happening down there in Melbourne.

Waxahatchee came on stage and announced it was her first ever show in Australia. A full room greeted Katie Crutchfield, having spent time between sets jostling to get closer to the stage. She took it in her stride, at once commanding, intimate and generous.

The setting suited songs from American Weekend, but it was a real treat to see alternate takes on songs from the following records. Swan Dive was powerful without drums, while new material like Under A Rock and La Loose were met with admiration from a dedicated and captivated audience. Some of the set did draw on a little though, given the night hinged on three solo artists playing to similar uncertainties. 

Crutchfield dedicated the beautiful Blue to her mother; Blue Pt. II followed. While we weren’t treated to the full band, songs like these were a great reminder of the sincerity and strength of songwriting that has drawn crowds like these on the other side of the world.