Kate Miller-Heidke

What is there to say, that hasn’t already been said? Except, maybe, “no, actually, I don’t want another orgasm, thank you”. Kate Miller-Heidke doesn’t need any more ‘good press’: she is widely acknowledged now as one of Australia’s most amazing singer-songwriters. Those who badger Heidke for being “mainstream” will be forced to cut up their words and serve them up on a plate, ready to eat, with a side order of...wrongness? I’m not liking this euphemism. Change places!

Luckily for me, Kate had played the night before at the Prince of Wales, so tonight’s show was comfortably moveable, but still bubbling with energy and excitement. Especially from a cluster of barely-legals in the front who screamed and cheered like, as Brendan the Boyfriend put it, “howler monkeys”. Having missed the largely unknown- and apparently amazing- Mikki Ross, I settled near the front to wait for End of Fashion to play the one song I sort-of liked of theirs and then go away. A poor choice of support band, I thought. The first time I ever saw Kate Miller-Heidke was a few years ago at the Corner- an unknown supporting The Whitlams. An accurate pairing. But End of Fashion’s nonspecific radio rock belonged somewhere else, not here, not tonight.

Kate and Co. arrived to adoration from the get-go. It is not enough that she is talented and beautiful: she is also loveable. Sparing between-song-banter for crucial moments, everybody wants to be her friend. Her band- Keir Nuttall on guitar and face, Nicole Brophy on acoustic guitar and co-vocals (no backup be she), Ben McCarthy on bass and Steve Pope on drums- all joined in with the fun. They played largely from Curiouser, the latest album, but opened with Little Eve’s Little Adam. Careening through God’s Gift to Women (including a very rock and roll orchestration of instrumentation led by Kate herself...that sounds vague, but I guess you had to be here...so be there next time!), current single- the beautiful Caught in the Crowd- I Like You Better When You’re Not Around, the alt.country Politics in Space, the “Video Hits song” Words...a nice assemblance of fun singalong tracks and lighter-in-the-air ballads.

Highlight of the night was the band’s cover of You’re The Voice, with a sample of Killing in the Name Of. Now there’s an odd mix. But, as usual, when it comes to Kate, done with style and glee. I feel as though I have said enough, but not enough. What I would ideally like to do is become a Time Lord, hop in my Tardis with all of you, take you back to Friday the First of May and have you see for yourself the KMH gig I attended. But, alas, no Doctor Who am I. You’ll just have to wait for Kate and Friend to hit the road some other time.

Photo by Ben McCarthy. Yes, that one.

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