Reviewed on Thursday November 27

The last thing you wanted was for it to end. Sure, there was an encore, and afterwards Obel visited the foyer to pacify her reluctant-to-leave fans with autographs and photos. But in a perfect world we would have remained in Angel Place until dawn, cosy in our comfortable seats, cookies and hot chocolate provided by smiling theatre staff, each enthralled by a performer whose songs are some of the most haunting, evocative and nuanced pieces out there. Listening to the albums is one thing; catching Agnes Obel live is an exercise in astonishment, and before I bring this gushing to a close, I must say that by the end of the night I felt fairly certain that she is one of today’s genuine great musicians – and still at the onset of her career, at that.

Obel emerged dressed all in white, as though she was only stopping by the piano en route to a dojo. She was accompanied by a violinist and cellist, both of whom provided gorgeous loops and harmonies throughout. Angel Place is said to have the greatest acoustics in Sydney (built as it is on an ancient angel burial ground), and before we were even halfway through instrumental opening song, ‘Chord Left’, it was difficult to dispute – resonant and evocative, somehow cinematic. As the applause died down, the two elderly women behind me, who could have stepped straight from a Terry Pratchett novel, agreed.

“The sound is very clear, isn’t it, Mary?”

“Eh?”

“I SAID THE SOUND IS VERY CLEAR.”

“It might be in my bag.”

This cinematic impression endured throughout the entire night, best exemplified by material from Obel’s sophomore album, Aventine: ‘Pass Them By’, ‘Fuel To Fire’, and the transfixing ‘The Curse’. Such is the rarity of her talent that you were both utterly charmed and focused on the performance, yet found your imagination reeling from impression to impression. Similarly, when she presented covers – Elliott Smith’s ‘Between The Bars’ and John Cale’s ‘I Keep A Close Watch’ – she did something that very few performers can legitimately do: reinvented these songs into something new.

The evening closed with a solo version of ‘Smoke And Mirrors’, where the beauty of Obel’s voice and piano found a fitting bookend. Heartbreaking and inspiring, and yes, I’m now a little in love, but trust me – one song and you’ll be smitten, too.

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