Cate Le Bon, Auckland NZ, 2019

Cate Le Bon

23rd February 2019
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd.

Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon played to a sold-out Whammy Bar last night as part of her solo piano sessions. Promising to showcase some of her new songs from her upcoming album due to be released in April, it was the perfect opportunity to hear the Welsh singer stripped back and bare.

Opening for Le Bon was the ethereal Purple Pilgrims, a sister duet who brought an atmosphere of witches in forests and the ancient rituals of Stonehenge to the warm and cosy confines of Whammy. Armed with little more than a guitar and keyboard, the music was the mist upon which the stupendous harmonization of Valentine and Clementine Adams floated through the room, their songs like the forbidden love child of Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins.

Synchronised hand movements accompanied some of the songs, adding to the beautifully theatrical feel of their set, songs such as ‘Forever’ and ‘Druidical Dreamer’ wrapping the room within its arms. Disarming, and utterly entrancing, Purple Pilgrims also played ‘Drink The Juice’ one of their latest tracks influenced by stories the dream-pop duo had heard about communes in and around the Coromandel where they spend fifty percent of their time; cults a particular interest of both the sisters.

When Cate Le Bon arrives on stage, accompanied by JT (John Thomas of Cate Le Bon/Islet) on synth and sampler there is almost a collective ‘Oh!’ of surprise, Le Bon’s brunette locks having been replaced by swept back blonde hair.

Seated behind a simple Roland keyboard, the audience focussed in on Le Bon, her voice filling the room like light in the darkness as she played ‘Love is not Love’ and new song ‘Daylight Matters’. Sadly, a few small groups of people scattered around the venue were far more invested in their own in-depth discussions than with what was on stage; at times their squawking distracting from the emotionally charged serenades emanating from Le Bon; a lesson or two in crowd etiquette not going amiss.

New work mingled with the past, songs such as ‘I Love You’ with it’s refrain that broke the heart, providing valuable insight into Le Bon’s upcoming fifth studio album. Familiar favourites charmed and delighted, Le Bon dedicating ‘What’s Not Mine’ to the “apple of my eye”, her drummer Daniel Wood (Lawrence Arabia) and his new bride. Both ‘Greta’ from the album Cyrk and the amazing falsetto filled ‘I Think I Knew’ bringing wistful smiles to many in the room, Le Bon’s voice stunning despite her apologies for being a little hoarse due to a cold. Another new track entitled ‘The Light’ proceeded a captivating cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Waterfalls’, the song eliciting cheers from a few patrons who were obviously McCartney fans.

While Cate Le Bon’s set was not particularly long – the combination of the slightly oppressive heat within the room and her cold surely not helping – it was completely enthralling, her command of her vocals combined with both emotive and insightful lyricism resulting in a show quite removed from her last appearance in Auckland back in 2016.

We await her new album with bated breath.

_{^{Image Credits: Feature Image by Simon Ayre / clwb.net}}

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