Project Description

ALEX LAHEY

@ The Rosemount Hotel

(Live Review)

14/04/18

Reviewer: Melanie D Griffiths

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At a time when it feels like bands have forgotten about including the West Coast from their tour schedules, Perth remains to have a strong connection with Alex Lahey. Admittedly her song, Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder which features this ‘pretty city’ actually recounts a painful breakup. Yet she evidently enjoys returning here telling the sold-out Rosemount crowd, “Between us, you’re our favourite place to come.” The response? A roar of reciprocation, because Perth loves Alex Lahey.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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The Melbourne musician has been crisscrossing the country touring giving something to audiences that they clearly want. Garage-indie tunes that never feels like it gets bogged down in what could easily become maudlin subjects. Cracking open her set with the title song from her 2017 debut album, I Love You Like A Brother, Lahey had this crowd jostling for dance space, an uptempo melody buffered with woolly guitars she could be the Katrina and Waves for a new generation.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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Support acts Spacey Jane, and The Money War also gave it a good outing. Further to that The Money War, who have been playing support to some notable acts in the last eighteen months, put in an infectiously enjoyable set. Sounding tight and playing like it was for the fun of it, the band was sounding better than ever, with a style of celestial indie pop rock that is becoming uniquely defined by Perth bands.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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The two bands laid the groundwork for Lahey to dive straight into her set, and the guitarist backed by her band let the lead out with a brisk set, which featured many of her songs from I Love You Like A Brother. An album consisting of a collection of conversational songs dealing matters of the heart that, rather than coming across as bitter, reveals instead the emotional growth of Lahey as an artist and woman. It’s Alex Lahey’s guide to being the modern woman.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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So when she goes retro with Let’s Call It A Day, and then brings it back around with I Want You it’s clear she has a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve – if the ABBA t-shirt she wore under her checked shirt didn’t give it away. And instead of rolling out her roughed cover of Torn, she instead gave a rousing rendition of Avril Lavigne’s Complicated that had everyone singing along, shoulder-to-shoulder.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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Tempering this was some seriously grungy guitar work from Lahey during Lotto In Reverse which kept all eyes keenly focussed on her. It’s an ironic situation when much of the subject of her songs is being overlooked by her partners, yet in actuality has the adoration of a crowd hanging off every riff. Yeah, it felt like a lovefest at times, how could it not when Lahey charmed the audience with “Perth feels like home” quips and then even offered up a new song.

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Alex Lahey at The Triffid – by Mike Wotton

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Saving the best till last a song that felt made for live performances with its call and response, Every Day’s A Weekend took the gig to its peak before closing out with I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself. It’s been a hectic two years for Alex Lahey who keeps going from strength to strength and is an artist who is on the path to not only be a masterful songwriter but also one of Australia’s most exciting live performers.

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CHECK OUT MORE FROM MIKE WOTTON’S GALLERY HERE!

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