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ASHA JEFFERIES
“CRYBABY” TOUR
+ FRAEYA + CECILIA BRANDOLINI
@ The Aardvark, Fremantle
22/05/2021
(Live Review)

Reviewer: Vicky Hebbs

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As we descend the stone steps into The Aardvark, smooth indie acoustics and the low buzz of conversation washes over us. The venue has beautiful high ceilings that reveal its past life as a cellar, which makes it the perfect venue to let the music wrap itself around the stone work and gently diffuse throughout the space.

Cecilia Brandolini takes the stage first. She performs with two other on strings and Cecilia herself plays guitar and sings with a strong voice complemented by the backing of her band members. I am surprised but delighted when they ease into a cappella in some songs; it adds a nice twist to their more upbeat songs. The only song I did not enjoy so much was “Dizzy” because of the jarring repetition of the “Eee-eee-eee” but it is definitely a catchy hook and was stuck in my head long after!

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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The a cappella goes down really well, along with the stories Cecilia accompanies her songs with. I was most impressed with Cecilia’s lyrics and the way she spun them into such beautiful songs. Like “Abortion Cake”, which was a really touching number that brought a tear to my eye and also made me laugh! You just know as you watch her pour her heart into her music that Cecilia has so many stories to tell, and I am very interested to see where she takes her music next.

Asha Jefferies has toured around the country with fellow muso, Jo Davies. As soon as they sing, you feel the magic of their voices together, with Jo’s higher pitch complimenting Asha’s lower sound. What immediately stood out to me is Asha’s professionalism. Asha is an incredibly talented songwriter; she knows how to pare back her instrumentals and lyrics and ensure Jo’s vocals layer with hers, allowing her unique vocals to shine through.

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Asha shares with the crowd that one of her first songs, “Honey Save Me From My Falsehoods”, is her mum’s favourite of her songs. She says it was written when she was in high school and may or may not be about a boy she really liked, to which everyone whoops and laughs. Knowing this, you can hear the yearning angst of teen crushes or first loves, when every feeling is more intense and everything feels ten times more dramatic than it should. This song felt wistful and nostalgic, and I can see why it’s her mum’s favourite. It’s definitely one of the highlights from Asha’s song catalogue for me.

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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I LOVED Asha’s rendition of her song, “Everybody Talks”. I interpreted the song as being about not getting hung up on other people’s opinions and not choosing to be the bitter person, and its message I really liked. Asha infuses her songs with great messages about life and love in an interesting and non-preachy way.

“Bad Kisser” is a warming tune and Asha nails the vocals that tail off wistfully at the end of the chorus. On “If You Were My Hero”, Asha’s talents truly shone through and I enjoyed the solid sound of the song as much as if there had been a full band behind her, not just her and Jo. There’s also a fun video of the song up on YouTube after it was the Unearthed NIDA winner back in 2018, and I’d recommend checking it out.

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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The crowd may not be huge on this rainy night on the last stop of her “Crybaby” tour, but Asha has a great rapport with the crowd, joking with everyone and sharing stories that draw everyone in. She thanks us all for being such a responsive crowd, asking us to consider advertising our services as professional fans.

“Break” was hands down my favourite song of the show, from the strong guitar to the crescendo taking Asha into the chorus and the artistic wavering of Asha’s vocals.

Asha has an incredible vulnerability to her lyrics and vocals, is a strong guitar player and is accompanied by a fantastic keyboardist and singer, Jo. This gig was a truly incredible show for a first tour and I’ll be sure to catch Asha again next time she heads west.

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Check out Kay Cann’s gallery of the Adelaide show HERE

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ASHA JEFFERIES // Photo – Kay Cann (Adelaide 21st May)

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