Words and photos by Tania Graham-Brown
Canadian duo Ocie Elliott returned to Sydney last night, bringing their heartfelt harmonies and gentle acoustic sound back to local stages following their debut Australian tour in 2023.
The duo performed last night at City Recital Hall in Sydney with their signature hushed harmonies, bare bones guitars and songs that landed with a slow, deliberate weight. Their voices locked together with an ease that felt lived in rather than rehearsed, drifting through the room like smoke.
It was intimate, the kind of set where you notice the silences as much as the notes. A crowd that came to listen. A room that seemed to shrink as the night went on. Their chemistry onstage, mellow, sincere and deeply connected, made even the simpler moments feel moving, with guitar work and vocal interplay drawing soft applause interspersed with enthusiastic whoops throughout. There’s a gentle pacing and emotional honesty of an Ocie Elliott set that always resonates with the audience, Forest Floor with its tip to Sierra’s dad; Tracks with its origin story from Jon. It remains light but heartfelt.
It was lovely seeing them with a small band, physically filling the stage a little more. My last Ocie Elliott concert was in Christchurch NZ, in an even more intimate space with only the two of them, so this felt like a step up experiencing them with some gentle drums and extra guitars. As always, their voices were enough by themselves but it made the set feel a little more nuanced and mature (alongside some fresh songs).
