Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Sean Clohesy (https://seandic.smugmug.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/sean.clohesy)
This was supposed to be a review of the acclaimed music documentary on the US band Pavement, which is currently showing as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. However, extensive construction work and a car catching fire on the Eastern Freeway extended my 50 minute commute to almost two and a half hours and as the film was beginning, I was doing 5 km an hour in what now resembled a car park and still only half way to my destination. Shout out to the impatient arsehole in the black BMW whose erratic lane skipping activity made the trip even more horrendous. Fortunately my freeway escape route led me toward my Plan B, week three of Kathleen Halloran’s month-long residency at Shotkickers in Thornbury!
Opening for Kathleen this week was the fabulous Gypsy Lee. We first saw Gypsy Lee at the Fenix 360 app launch in 2024, where she performed impressively with three backing vocalists and a guitarist. This time Gypsy was debuting her new band which included Jonathan Fuda on guitar, Caitie Smillie on bass and Nicholas Costa on drums. The young vocalist delivered a splendid set of self-penned electro-pop tunes such as Runaway Baby and Scene of the Crime, enhanced by some lush triggered ambient, electronic sounds. I also enjoyed the unique tones coming from Fuda’s sleek looking Tim Henson signature Ibanez guitar. Gypsy informed us that new bassist Caitie Smillie only received her music charts less than a week prior and played like she’d lived with this music for years. Also notable was the development in Gypsy’s stagecraft, looking so comfortable under the spotlight, which stands to reason considering that her mum is legendary Australian singer mum Kate Ceberano, also in the house to support her daughter. The dramatic Coca Cola, a new song merely two weeks old got its first airing too and pointed to an artist relishing her ongoing songwriting journey. https://gypsyleemusic.com/
Zevon Lee, Australian Musician magazine’s Musician of the Month from October 2024 always provides a quality blend of blues, soul and rock and last night at Shotkickers added a little cajun spice to the mix with the percussive opener What It Feels Like. From the get-go Zevon and band consisting of Yuri Pavlinov (bass), Byron Goodwin (drums) and Chris Lisati (keys), were in an enthusiastic jam mode, swapping licks and interacting with each other playfully. ‘Lost’, a tune written about a friend in the depths of their despair, was rich in soulful guitar tones, accompanied by heartfelt lyrics. ‘Sweet Cup’ a track from Zevon’s upcoming new EP ‘The Only One’, released tomorrow August 22nd, featured a scorching guitar solo. ‘What Is It Going To Take’ a track penned with collaborator Rita Satch is a slow burning blues song which builds to an electric crescendo, once again showcasing Zevon’s fluid fretwork. Then Chris Lisati let loose with his bag of keyboard tricks on the jaunty ‘Make It Right With You’ before the band wrapped up with ‘The Only One’, the smouldering title track of the new EP. Zevon Lee plays his instrument with ridiculous ease and feels right at home on stage, constantly radiating such positive energy out into the crowd. Check out his EP when it’s released tomorrow. https://www.facebook.com/zevonlee
Of course it was the main act, talented singer, guitarist, composer Kathleen Halloran we’d all come to see. Beginning with the familiar opening strains of her first single ‘Free With Me’, which she launched to an excited audience at The Gaso late last year, the Shotkickers crowd were full of love for Kathleen’s sound too. “I Am The Hunted’ a track written with her bass player Jonathan Zion is a solid rocker featuring some savage, distorted Halloran licks, as well as offering some impressive psychedelic tones. Up next, Kathleen told us that “You’ve Got The Wrong Girl’, is about someone trying to fit you into the mould that they want you to be. The powerful ballad included some dexterous, passionate guitar lines, proving that her command of the instrument has no bounds. Kathleen doesn’t merely play guitar, she performs with purpose, feeling every note deeply. Zion with a loping bass line led the band into the cruisy ’Find Me Again’, another of Kathleen’s previously well-received singles. As Halloran ripped into another searing solo, it became apparent that this band featuring Zion on bass and Darryn Farrugia on drums just get punchier with each gig. Also noticeable was the development in Kathleen’s vocal capacity, it’s something she’s worked hard at. As she said on stage, when singing her own songs she’s comfortable therefore writes to suit her range and is sounding mighty fine as a result. Changing up to her Maton acoustic, the talented composer then delivered her beautiful new single ‘The Cost Of Living’, a song about life as a musician.
Fans of Kathleen Halloran are well aware that she is the guitarist in Kate Ceberano’s band. Halloran told the Shotkickers crowd how she ’stole’ a song that Kate often performed, Stevie Winwood’s ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ and couldn’t possibly perform it in front of her. The solution was to call Kate to the stage to sing it instead. In a very special moment of the evening, the legendary Australian singer belted out a spirited version of the song with Kathleen free to rock out on guitar. Kathleen and band then ripped into a new track titled ’Opinion’. Written with bassist Jonathan Zion, it’s a darker rock song about ignoring negative social media noise. Finishing up proceedings, Kathleen thanked her support acts, her ‘boss’ Kate Ceberano and the Shotkickers staff, then invited Zevon Lee to the stage to join her on the rockin’ ‘Showstopper’. The pair traded some divine guitar licks, with the crowd immersing themselves in the action, eagerly clapping along to the beat, as the band then morphed into a fiery version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock ’n’ Roll’ to end a sensational night of quality homegrown artistry. https://linktr.ee/kathleen.halloran.music