Project Description
@ The Foundry
31st August 2018
(Live Review)
Reviewer – Alexandra Ainsworth
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Brisbane’s Thelma Plum is playing a hometown show in The Foundry. It hasn’t sold out, but jostling elbows between a wall to wall crowd prove that she’s dangerously close. The 24 year old has a new single under her belt, and with a record soon to be release, Plum uses the opportunity to tease what’s to come.
The set starts with the ever-popular How Much Does Your Love Cost?, and from the outset, Plum displays visible nerves. Being a seasoned musician, it’s slightly surprising, but she doesn’t let it impact her vocals. In fact, her nerves make Plum all the more endearing. Though they remain throughout the set, they show, just as much as her lyrics do, that Thelma Plum is undeniably human.
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While there are many older crowd favourites which spur the drunk choir on, the best part of Plum’s set comes from her newer tracks. The poignant and powerful Woke Blokes (whose intro notes it’s about “Sydney boys”) makes some strong references to a time in which Plum was ostracized by music fans for speaking out against a prominent member of the Australian music scene. To be released in her upcoming album, the track’s lyrics explore the importance of making the right choice despite the consequences. It’s a heartbreaking song to watch unfold before you, but it’s an important story which Plum has managed to relay with a breathtaking eloquence that displays a grace and wisdom beyond her years.
Woke Blokes, however, is not the only emotional moment in the set. There are tracks about Plum’s single mother role model, being outcast through puberty in Prom Queen, and her battle with depression and loneliness in Better In Black. The night comes full circle with more upbeat latest release Clumsy Love to prove that Plum can make the most of both worlds. An encore that includes a cover of Kasey Chamber’s Captain, an emotional tribute to her family (many of whom are dotted around tonight’s venue) as well as Plum’s own Around Here ends the night on a cheeky high. In a short hour, Plum has given her upcoming record more positive publicity than any media release could, and there is no doubt that everyone in the Foundry is itching for more.
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Check out Adrian Thomson’s gallery of the Mojos show in Perth HERE
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THELMA PLUM
CLUMSY LOVE TOUR
(remaining dates)
FRI 07 SEP | THE RIVER, MARGARET RIVER WA (18+)
Tickets | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 08 SEP | AMPLIFIER, PERTH WA (18+)
Tickets | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 14 SEP | OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW (18+)
Tickets | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
SAT 15 SEP | HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC (18+)
Tickets | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
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Follow THELMA PLUM
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