Hollie Smith
3rd July 2024
OngaOnga Hall, OngaOnga, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers.
The Small Hall Sessions are still alive! It’s been far too long between drinks, such being the price of the collectively self-induced period of doom and gloom in which we find ourselves, but there can scarce be a much better proof of life than the magnificent Hollie Smith.
Incorporating a trio of Sessions into her current “Bones” tour, she silenced a capacity audience in the historic (how historic? It’s older than Jamie!!) OngaOnga hall, taking us with her for a couple of hours of (nearly) all-new material. Vocal injury be damned, she gave it her all, warts and all, and blew minds with the power and the passion of her delivery.
As Jamie so eloquently expressed it, we were seeing ‘the Hollie behind the Hollie Smith’, i.e. the more intimate and raw person behind the persona of the star who can fill arenas and large halls. This tour constitutes a proving ground for new material, as well as a self-imposed deadline for creating that material, some of which has had less than a fortnight since being written. Fresh indeed! As such, the song titles will mean very little to those who weren’t there, at least not until they’re recorded and released into the wild. But at the same time, the setlist will have a historical value, as a means of charting the genesis of Hollie’s next batch of recorded output, as it reaches the ears, and hearts, of its listeners. And a marker in time for Hollie’s first-ever visit to OngaOnga, a bucket-list item for the ages!
It’s in the nature of an artist such as this for the songs to be deeply personal, reflective of lived experience. This format allows for exposition of the themes of the material, fleshing out the meanings and intentions behind it. First song “Fine Lines” , and it’s explanatory introduction, exemplified this, explained as addressing the 5 percent of an otherwise great relationship, the bits that have us hanging on to the other 95 percent in order to get through them! “Grass is Greener” is a rumination on the tendency towards jealousy of the lives of others, and also the creative’s habit of chasing the dragon of the next album, the next award, the next level, always the next – and having the wisdom, and strength, to recognise the reality behind such impulses.
It’s equally in the nature of an artist for actual people to make their way into the lyrics – as Hollie said, “Don’t piss off a creative!”. As such, “Wait a Minute” reflects the recent break-up of a long-term relationship, but in a relatively subdued fashion – more on that later! “Nothing Spoken” deals with the loss of a long-time friend, and the making of arrangements honouring their passing. An as-yet unnamed song (and strong candidate for future single!) dealt with the break-up in a more direct manner.
Having reminded everybody to “Buy the merch – I need the money!”, a sad reflection on the current parlous state of the entertainment industry, we were serenaded in to the intermission by “Point Of View”. This is a song that calls for more tolerance of the differences in people’s lived experiences, and how this plays in to their opinions and beliefs – certainly a worthwhile cause in these fascistic days of divide-and-rule!
Returning from the break stocked up on merch (the tea towels sold out!!!), saw the final break-up song for the night, “Perfect Storm”, before another which Hollie confessed to still trying to decide whether she likes it or not – so much so that it doesn’t yet have a name. Definitely showed some potential though, and could probably polish up quite nicely! The intensely personal and compassionate nature of her muse was again on show with the next trio of songs, “When Days Were Better”, “Forever Wanting”, and “Be A God”, baring her soul (while still slipping in a sneaky reference to ‘beatings with bed legs’, of the type so clearly in favour with politicians of a certain stripe!). As for the subjects of these songs, well, you’d best get to one of the remaining shows in this tour – that or wait until they’re released on the next album!
The compelling “Message In A Bullet” introduced as being only trotted out for the Small Halls section of the tour, addressed, among other things, the tension between wanting to be informed about events and the overwhelm that’s risked by being informed, and thus aware of the creeping enshittification of almost everything (or so it seems). The final new song “Day Too Late”, finished only a couple of days prior to the tour, led in to a minor song from Hollie’s back pages, the one that no performance by her would be regarded as being completed without – of course I mean “Bathe In the River” – the song that first brought her in to the wider public’s consciousness. Still as fresh as ever, and a final chance to show off her powerhouse and dynamic vocal turns – the perfect end to a truly intimate gathering!
And so, having flared briefly through the winter skies, Macphail’s Comet retreated once more into the ether, promising to return at a suitable juncture. But what an amazing show it brought us, whetting appetites for Hollie’s next release, and allowing us the smug feeling of knowing we were among the first to hear these songs! Want to share in that same smugness? You know what to do – get some tickets for one of the remaining shows! You’ll be glad you did…
Were you there at the OngaOnga Hall for this intimate gig? Or have you seen Hollie Smith perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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