It’s been three years since I saw Dami Im live. Back then she was just beginning to release some of the confessional music that turned me from a casual fan to a committed member of the “Dami Army.” I feel like her music has gone from strength to strength since that time, so I was thrilled to nab one of the best seats in the house for Saturday’s show at Avoca Beach Picture Theatre.
While The Art House is hardly a large venue, it doesn’t have the intimacy of the little community movie theatre that has become one of Darkinjung Country/Central Coast’s most beloved music venues seemingly overnight. The beautiful art deco cinema room (just the one, this is no multiplex) holds less than 300 people. While there’s a bar in the foyer, once people sit down they stay in their seats, listening to the music attentively and clapping respectfully. We’re even told that if we insist on taking photographs, to hold our cameras low to ensure we don’t annoy other patrons, and to be sporadic as a live event like this is much better experienced with our eyes rather than through the lens of a device. Normally I won’t take any photos, because my usual front row seats cast such a spell. But tickets sell so fast these days that I found myself a few rows back and able to catch a few.
A venue like this is perfect for an EP launch because people are there to appreciate music. They welcome new material and give everyone a chance to properly discover it in real-time. It’s a rare, special thing. Dami clearly relished the opportunity to introduce us to the songs from In Between, an EP written as she processed her emotions on falling pregnant and giving birth. They’re weighty songs, confessional songs which give real truths about this often-confusing time in a woman’s life. Honestly, I think they might be some of the best songs Dami’s ever written. Hearing her speak about that time that inspired this material has given me an even deeper appreciation of this recording.
While the night was a celebration of new material, Dami had time for old favourites. She belted out all her singles, relishing the opportunity to dance around and interact with her band. She even took us back to where it all began with a piano medley of songs that helped her clinch the X Factor crown. And of course she couldn’t leave us without delivering “Sounds of Silence,” the song that launched her into the global consciousness at Eurovision.
I loved Dami’s live show the first time around, but in this special intimate venue, excited to share new music that clearly means so much to her, she might have been even better.
Image source: own photos