Fanny Lumsden, Lizotte's, July 14
Fanny Lumsden is contagious.
There's no other way to say it.
Lumsden and her five-piece band the Thrillseekers have honed a touring act that not only entertains, it practically forces audience engagement in sing-a-longs or dance-a-longs.
Topped and tailed with two gracious anthemic songs, Mountain Song and Fallow, the show in between had something new, something old and plenty of storytelling.
Mid-set she took her band down to the middle of the audience and blasted out a rousing, acoustic version of AC/DC hit All Night Long.
Following on with These Days, one of her classically thoughtful set-in-the-country-but-not-really-a-country-song pieces, the band launched into a riotious version of The Teddy Bear Twist, a piece that resonated from her guest appearance on Playschool.
Earlier in the set, she gave some insight into a new work, Stories, recently recorded in Tasmania for her next album. She played it solo, and it shimmered. The chorus echoed, "What are you other than the stories we tell ourselves, we passed on through generations shaping everyone else."
Inside this gem of creativity rests a genius. Sometimes the fun antics of the band seem like a cover for an extremely talented singer songwriter. But Australia has already figured that out, lauding Lumsden with coveted ARIA and Golden Guitar awards.
In the meantime, for the last decade, she's played nearly every community hall and country pub in Australia, honoring her audience with their stories told through her lens. Their stories are her stories - as the travelling caravan parked across the street from the venue attests.
She's got a husband (Dan Freeman, in the band), two small kids, they call a country property in the Snowy Mountains home. She knows her story; she knows Australia's story. And it just flows like water through her music.
She also played Dig and Tidy Town on the night.
The encore of Fallow was appropriate; it's a modern day country classic. Her band's faultless harmonies and classy riffs enhanced everything they touched.
It was a breathe of fresh air inside, before facing the reality of a cold winter's night outside.
