Geelong – May 14
Supports: Rach Brennan, Gabriella Cohen
Reviewed by Amanda Sherring
It seems to be more and more frequent where women are hitting the stage across all genres of music, and May 14 on the Workers Club was a night that celebrated just that – and perhaps without even doing it consciously.
The night started off with local talent Rach Brennan and Levi Anderson, and for all Geelong residents present, their talent is well-known. Performing as the crowd slowly creeps in for the main event can be a difficult task, though it was quite clear the duo had made a home for themselves on the Workers Club stage and that comfortability shone through.
Someone who was a little less familiar with the Geelong stage was Gabriella Cohen, who as a one-woman guitar playing show had a task ahead of her in “owning” the space. Her lyrics were contemplative, quirky and had plenty of self-reflection that was relevant to us all. Her performance was reminiscent of Adalita, though a backing band would have really shut up those few punters in the back who couldn’t tear their ears away from their own conversation. Gabriella is definitely one to watch, and is a uniquely talented musician in the emerging muso scene.
As Sahara Beck took to the stage with her four-piece band behind her, she swept through her catalogue and swept the crowd along with each song. The band filled the whole space just as a band should and there seemed no end to the layers of instrumental they were able to recreate on stage. Vocally Sahara Beck hit the high notes and proved her years of music education and early beginnings in the industry (she first entered it around 11 years old) have more than paid off. While there are many musicians who approach stage “performance” tentatively, Sahara exuded a confidence some veteran musicians struggle with. There was even a cover of the Jungle Book’s ‘I Wanna Be Like You’, and if that’s not a great addition to any night, I don’t know what is.
