Sally Seltmann

The former lead cellist of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Jessica Venables aka Jessica Says is trying her hand at a solo pop career. Her cello playing is lovely, unfortunately her live persona leaves a lot to be desired. Jessica and her two piece backing band seemed to have great aspirations, but were lacking the passion, energy and skill to reach them with a bad mix of wannabe Portishead tunes (which included an horrendous cover of Australian Crawl’s classic “Reckless”), some very average vocal work, awkward onstage movements and really poor mixing by the sound desk. Jessica Says played a lacklustre set where they did little to peak the crowds interest, who looked as sleepy and unimpressed as the band.

Second supports Oh Mercy were equally as bland with a blasé performance which appeared to be all about the ego of front man Alexander Gow, who took centre stage and a spotlight while the rest of the band stood in the shadows, barely showing signs of life. The Melbourne based quintet enjoyed some success with the release of their debut LP Privileged Woes last year, and they definitely sound more lively in the studio than they do onstage. Bassist Eliza Lam appeared to be sleeping standing up, she barely moved, and with more bad work from the sound desk her instrument was completely lost in the mix, with the focus on Gow’s nasal tones which were slightly off key and delivered with as much enthusiasm as a child whose just been told that Santa doesn’t exist. Guitarist Thomas Savage came to life briefly when performing his solo’s, but on the whole, the band appeared to simply be going through the motions, playing lifeless renditions of the new tunes from their recently released Keith St. EP, and a few old favourites like Astrid, No and Lay Everything On Me, the latter of which received a large round of applause from the fans in the audience. Having seen Oh Mercy play a very similar set at their album launch last year, it was sad to see they’ve done little to improve their live show since then as they resign themselves to being one of the many local acts who completely ignore the performance/entertainment aspect of a live show.

Sally Seltmann has dropped her New Buffalo moniker, and is now confidently reintroducing herself to the world with her third studio LP Heart That‘s Pounding. As a songwriter, Seltmann has become renowned for the distinctive textures and dreamy aesthetic of her music, which is intelligent, gorgeous pop. In a live setting, the floaty ambience of her sound was stilted, with her backing band (which included Jessica Venables on keys and cello) couldn't capture the lush beauty that clearly translates in their studio work. Seltmann walked onstage in long white gown and instantly set about charming the audience with her sweet persona, telling anecdotes between songs and actively engaging with the crowd. She is a cute performer, who takes a lot from her contemporaries Fiona Apple, Feist and Chan Marshall in the delivery of her sound. Highlights of the set were nice versions of Recovery and Harmony To My Heartbeat, but overall the Sally Seltmann live experience was not a mind blowing one. Seltmann has a quiet, understated manner that was endearing and pleasant to watch, but whether it was due to a poor mix (the sound desk were performing below par all evening) or just a lack of energy, Seltmann and the band were rather underwhelming with a set that proved to be enjoyable, but not great, and one I‘m really glad I didn‘t have to pay admission for.

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