Madelina
» Madelina hits the Toff - August 28, 2009
You guys know me by now, right? You’ve learned to love my mordant humour, my oft-tyrannical nature and lofty expectations of the artists who must fill my ears for forty-five minutes or so. I don’t just vouch for anyone. I will no longer part with eight or ten hard-earned dollars to have beer-stained shoes and to suffer yet another Birds of Tokyo-esque group of angsty “rockers” who so staunchly proclaim themselves to be so.
So it is with great relief and bubbling hope that I await the grace of burgeoning Melbourne act Madelina. Having been enraptured by her music on MySpace, I took to the beautiful Paris Cat Jazz Bar in Melbourne and set my phasers to “Gin”. Madelina is, subsequently, not just a very talented artist but also an incredibly nice, down-to-earth lass. She had not an inch of rock-star bravado on her; she was clearly a little nervous, and rightly so; I would be hyperventilating behind the bar if I had to share my voice with strangers. She took it like a champ.
I want to get to the music but I do not know how. I just want to take each of you and sit you in a chair at Paris Cat and show you. I can link you to her MySpace (www.myspace.com/madelinamusica ) but that will only do so much. She managed to erase every shitty band I had seen this year thus far with one fell swoop of her amazing voice. Suddenly, the Melbourne music scene was worth loving again. She is still clearly new to the business of show, but her innocence and awkward stage banter only make her more endearing, more human. Her band include the very dexterous Luke Howard (piano), Jonathan Zion and his incredibly expressive face to match his quick-fingeredness (bass) and Barnaby Gold (drums) who you may also recognise as the rockin’ drummer from Melbourne’s own ROOT!. Small world.
The debut-single-worthy Move with Me has the swoony “doo-doo-doos” that you catch yourself singing a week later, as well an adorable glockenspiel moment. Madelina, how to describe your voice....a kookier Norah? A jazz Missy? I am not one for quick comparisons right now. All I will say is: “If you only see one female Melbourne jazz vocalist this year....!”
