Julia Deans
1st September 2018
The Tuning Fork, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
Honesty. It is a quality that holds much value in the eyes of society and when intertwined with the creative process can genuinely touch people. We Light Fire is the remarkable new album from Julia Deans that is in itself, a multi-faceted exploration of honesty, and last night the audience at Auckland’s Tuning Fork were treated to a superlative performance by Deans and her band as part of the album release tour.
Julia Deans has long been an advocate of gender equality in the New Zealand music scene, a fact that has seen her welcome several female support acts for each one of her performances around the country.
Last night’s show not only saw twin sister duo Lexxa take the stage but introduce their newest member as well, Kate joining Lexxa on drums for the very first time. This added instrumental element giving their tracks a far more rounded sound. Lexxa have certainly grown over the last twelve months, whilst always having great potential they have now developed into a rather formidable duo with a synchronicity that feels completely organic.
But most importantly Julia and Maude Morris appear to be truly enjoying themselves while on stage despite the fact that the material of many of their tracks embraces a wistful sadness; Lexxa taking this subject matter of scorned love and absent friends and overlaying it with catchy pop melodies and a dash of 80’s that works particularly well. Beginning their set with ‘The Day We Met’ the duo soon moved into their single ‘I Got Better Friends Now’ it’s enthusiastic reception from the audience illustrating that the Morris twins are certainly onto something. Finishing their set with the punchy ‘Get Out’ which saw both Julia and Maude pull off some nice little stage moves – fantastic to see them both having so much fun with their live performances – Lexxa left the crowd with the quietly powerful track ‘Sometimes Thing’.
Julia Deans is not a woman who does anything by halves and judging by her ensemble of musicians who shared the stage with her last night that statement has now forever been proven true. With both Richie Pickard on bass guitar as well as double bass and Jono Sawyer on drums, Deans already had solid backing in the band department; but it was the trio of women along the front of the stage that made the heart skip a beat; the combination of Deans, Tali and Reb Fountain a quintessential marriage of harmonization.
From the moment Deans began to sing the opening lines to ‘Clandestine’ – the majestic opening track from her new album – every audience member was transfixed. Whilst never been found to be wanting in the vocal department it however remains astonishing the sheer calibre of Deans vocals whilst performing live, her falsetto’s and ability to hold a pitch-perfect note entirely breath-taking.
Throughout the evening tracks from her latest offering were woven together with previous works such as the mesmerising ‘Skin (Everything is coming to a Halt)’ and the rhythmical ‘A New Dialogue’ from her 2010 album Modern Fabrics, the resulting tapestry embroidered with opulent lyrical threads.
With razor-sharp wit Deans interspersed her set with a few jokes and on the spot commentary, but it was her introductions to particularly meaningful tracks that defined the authentic honesty that lies at the heart of so many of them. From waking up in the middle of the night in fear to her emotional speech regarding the heart-breaking closing track from We Light Fire entitled ‘Chelsea’ – her earnest plea to all to hold on for the dawn even on those darkest nights one that touched many – Deans hides nothing, her songs an open journal for all to read.
Performances such as these are ones that embed themselves not only within the vault of the memory bank but in the lining of the heart. And that right there is the honest truth.
Were you there at The Tuning Fork for this magnificent gig? Or have you seen Julia Deans perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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