Reviewed on Saturday October 8
No matter the gig – be it a lone folk singer in the corner of a pub, or a stadium heaving with the energy of 10,000 people – you always hope that what you’re about to witness turns out to be historic. Imagine being there in the Cavern Club when The Beatles first took to the stage, or that time Keith Richards revealed he is actually an immortal space amoeba who’s been masquerading as human all these years. Sure, not every performance will find itself with an individual Wikipedia entry, but you always hold out a certain hope.
Which leads us directly enough to Montaigne. It isn’t enough that her debut, Glorious Heights, is surely one of the albums of the year. I’ve caught her live several times (most memorably in Toowoomba, where she tripped over during her opening number, turned it into a commando roll with legs akimbo and never missed a beat), and I’m convinced that she is going to emerge as one of the best and brightest acts Australia has to offer. The vitality she brings to the stage is remarkable; Montaigne is a very physical performer, almost theatrical, cavorting like a tangled marionette with a voice that resembles the fusion of Amanda Palmer and Kate Miller-Heidke.
Easing us into the night was Bec Sandridge, a complementary choice if ever there was one. Sandridge is a curious performer. She seems utterly at home rocking out up there, and damn if she doesn’t play a mean guitar. Her set itself does require some getting used to, though; she’s a versatile and very idiosyncratic performer, but it took a few songs for the audience to sync up with her unusual meter. The vocal gymnastics on display were equally impressive – think Kate Bush with a detour into The B-52’s. Weird, but it somehow worked.
But the night belonged very much to Montaigne. Hard to pick a highlight when everything on offer was in some way exceptional, but ‘In The Dark’ and ‘I Am Behind You’ had the crowd thrumming, while her foray into the audience for an intimate and genuinely moving rendition of ‘Consolation Prize’ left the room speechless. She seems to still believe in every lyric, and the audience hung on each word – though when it came to participation on ‘Lonely’, well, next time I promise we’ll do better.
Suffice to say, if Montaigne doesn’t walk away with an ARIA, it’s time to start looting.
