Lester The Fierce isn’t quite as scary as her name suggests, but there’s still something dramatic and dangerous about this Melbourne chanteuse. I’m so taken with her breathtaking single “Holland,” which comes from her debut EP The Summer Deluge. Get ready for some enchantingly ethereal vocals and a whole lot of feathers.
Lester The First will launch the EP tomorrow night in front of her home town fans at the Phoenix Public House. Make sure you turn up early for support slots from Clue To Kalo and Mouth Tooth.
After these shows wrap the bands will take their act to The Netherlands and Belgium for gigs in January and February. I have no idea what the European audiences will make of the blend!
Everyone’s budget is stretched tight at this time of year, but tickets are quite reasonable at $110 for the show and a three-course dinner. You can book yours by calling Bouchon Bistro on (08) 9387 3898.
Aussies aren’t exactly taking the singles charts by storm, but it’s been some time since I’ve seen two local acts in the top 10. Hopefully with the ARIAs reminding us of all the great Australian talent around, we’ll see more songs cracking the top 10 in the coming weeks.
1 December 2011 – The Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
With my belly full of salt and pepper squid and succulent pork belly I was ready to listen to the sweet sounds of local talent Jacob Pearson. I’d heard a lot of buzz about this youngster, and was thrilled to experience him first hand. His voice sat somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Howie Day, although his tunes reminded me more of John Mayer in his early coffee house days. Just like Mayer he’s a dab hand at the guitar, and the ukulele as well. He told us the way Rai Thistlewayte’s music had influenced him early in his career, and it reminded me how young he was. He seems much more seasoned than his years would suggest. He’s cute too; with the right exposure he could definitely be the next big thing. It’s a shame too many people chatted through his set because it was something special.
That feeling of witnessing something rare and precious continued as Rai took to the stage. He seemed to revel in these intimate surroundings, which were perfect for road testing new material and treating us to some of his favourite Thirsty Merc cuts. While singles were represented, the setting also gave Rai the opportunity to play his some of those album tracks that didn’t hit the charts. Personally I preferred these; I still don’t think I’m over the mass saturation of airplay “20 Good Reasons” received. The superb new tunes definitely have me excited about the next album. In this intimate setting with the hushed crowd I could focus on every lyric and every note and really take them in. Rai chatted easily with us, telling us about his recent songwriting trips and the tours he’s been taking. Lizotte’s facilitates that kind of show experience, the breaking down of the barrier between artist and audience. He encouraged us to get to our feet for a stomping new number and to sing along loudly with “In the Summertime.”
All too often I get excited about an album on the strength of its single, before discovering the long player doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s much rarer to find a disc that makes me appreciate the artist even more than I did before, but I found it with 
I’m going to miss debating over the answers to “Musician or Serial Killer” and “Know Your Product” with my husband. I’ll miss annoying him with the Europe riff every time we settled in for “The Final Countdown.” I’m going to miss the laughs, and I’m going to miss feeling just a little bit superior when I knew the answers to the more obscure questions. I’m just going to miss it.