SONG TO THE SIREN

FELICITY GROOM / Nick Allbrook / Rabbit Island / Joe McKee

The Bakery
Friday, December 16, 2011

The east coast is slowly figuring out what we in WA have known for a while – that local siren Felicity Groom is a master of her craft with a bright future ahead of her. Groom’s highly anticipated debut album Gossamer has been lauded by critics across the country since its release last month, and you can imagine her performing in concert halls one day. Taking to the stage on Friday night, Groom’s long-awaited album launch had something of a triumphant end-of-year return about it, both for dedicated fans who have been following Groom’s career progression over the last few years and for first-timers who hadn’t yet been beguiled by the pint-sized pocket-rocket.
Taking to the stage early in the evening, soft-spoken songsmith Joe McKee charmed the diminutive audience with his artistically redolent songwriting style. While the news that McKee’s acclaimed surf-noise act Snowman had disbanded earlier this year shocked local music fans, tonight’s performance established the local songwriter’s talent is unwavering, whatever incarnation.
Following McKee’s performance, Rabbit Island (aka Amber Fresh) wasted little time in kicking her set into gear, launching without hesitation into material from her debut album O God Come Quick. With a stripped back sound, Fresh offers simple but incredibly powerful compositions.
While Pond frontman and general muso around town Nick Allbrook had the growing audience jiving to his ramshackle rhythms, as the clock struck 11:45pm the large audience moved en masse to the front of the stage, huddling round in the kind of fragile silence that made one hesitate to clink the change in their pocket.
Friday night’s performance more than proved that silence plays a key role in Felicity Groom’s gorgeous, spare compositions, which were fleshed out by guitarist Andrew Ryan (Fall Electric), bassist Jay Watson (Tame Impala, Pond) and drummer Michael Jelinek (The Silents, The Growl), the later two of whom also sung harmonies in eerie synchronicity.
Drawing on a combination of folk, pop and classical influences, Groom created a warm and engaging sound. Best described as eclectic folk lullabies, her songs suggest contemporary influences in PJ Harvey and Cat Power, backed up with the classical impact of Bach or Debussy. These sparse arrangements enhanced, rather than diminished, the set’s mesmerizing quality as it lilted between feelings of haunting mystery and wistful joy.
Throwing in addictive hooks on the likes of 39 she demonstrated an ability to prick up the listener’s ears and break up what could otherwise be a set of amorphous beauty. Likewise, Siren Song is effortlessly twinkling ear candy, while her wistful cover of The Zombies’ 1968 hit Time of the Season revealed her as a thoughtful interpreter of others’ songs. During Finders and Keepers Groom was suddenly backed by a mass choir of close friends and local musicians. This was a glimpse of the kind of gloriously immersive large-scale arrangement she might be capable of given the resources.

_JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD