The closure of Lizotte’s at Kincumber hit me hard. That venue spoiled me, got me used to seeing intimate shows and enjoying great food and wines while artists played. So I was thrilled to discover a similar vibe at Venue 505 in Surry Hills on Saturday night.
It wasn’t quite up to the standard of my beloved Lizotte’s, but this small room with comfy couches and tables for dining has real promise. It’s more about bar food than three-course menus, and my steak was rarer than I asked for. But the wine list was inspired and reasonably priced, especially by Sydney standards. You can’t book tables either, although arriving at 6 when doors opened there was no chance of missing out on a great spot.
As I get older it takes something special to lure me into the city. But I couldn’t resist the promise of Jack Carty and Jordan Millar playing “intimate and by request.” Jordan Millar’s album Cold Lights on Curious Minds was one of my favourite albums of 2013, and I loved Jack Carty’s set warming up for Josh Pyke last year. Having said that, I wouldn’t consider myself particularly familiar with their music. I’ve loved what I heard, but I certainly wasn’t hankering to hear particular tunes like the folks eager to write their favourite songs down and put them in the request box by the stage.
The thing is though, at a gig like this you don’t need to know the songs. It’s not like going to see some band they play on classic rock stations where everyone sings along. Especially in an intimate setting like Venue 505, these songs should be listened to, their lyrics heard. Jordan Miller was up first. I haven’t listened to his album in a while, but his set was a powerful reminder that I need to dig it out. There were a few songs I remembered from that recording, like “Rain on the Ground” and some new favourites to discover like “Advice from Beyonce.”
All of the Jack Carty songs I heard were new to me, but that was exciting. Really a show like this is the perfect introduction to musicians, because you’re going to hear a set that’s made up of the songs that fans love. I adored the solo sets both artists delivered, but true magic was made when Jordan joined Jack for the final tracks of the night. How wonderful to experience two such talented singer-songwriters, stripped back with just acoustic guitars, singing such beautiful songs.
And how wonderful to do it at such a great venue. It takes a lot to lure me to Sydney these days, but this show was well worth braving the cold of winter.
Image source: own photo