Isol-Aid: Round 2
Trying circumstances have truly brought out the best of the Australian arts industry.
Melbourne artists Emily Ulman and Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt (Merpire) created a music festival fit for self-isolation: Isol-Aid. Creating a sense of community among a nation stuck at home, Isol-Aid is an undeniable triumph over deeply uncertain times.
After a hugely successful first event, featuring 74 Australian artists performing from their personal isolation stations last weekend, the festival has come back for a second huge event, with 74 new acts filling the bill. The event is running in support of charity organization Support Act, and of course in support of the artists themselves.
The shift to performing to a screen instead of a physical audience was handled with grace, and many laughs – with dying batteries, precariously balanced cameras tipping mid song, and the eternal refrain ‘how do you end this thing?’ as fans were treated to extreme close-ups of their favourite artists faces.
Though the challenges for the performers have been unique – those used to contending with technical difficulties like failing guitar leads, instead had to survive younger siblings using up the Wi-Fi – every artist rose to the challenge and delivered phenomenal performances, while continually begging the question does every Australian artist own an indoor fern?
Alana Wilkinson
Alana Wilkinson appeared on the screen with fairy lights strung behind her, pot plants everywhere, and her signature sunflowers hung from the wall. Bringing her partner Angus, of Jack the Fox, in for her first song, Alana started her set with her most recent single, ‘Good For You.’ Holding nothing back in her vocals, the tune was completely captivating from the first note. With a flawless, clean harmonic arrangement, and some sweet moments of connection between the pair throughout the song, it was a very strong start to her slot. Trading to ukulele, Alana pulled out old favourite, ‘The Polar Bear Song,’ a song born of a new year’s resolution to write a song a day, with highly successful, if somewhat unique, results. Alana was clearly just enjoying herself on this livestream, somehow delivering the same charisma and relatability to a phone screen as a full room. Her comedic moments throughout were completely self-aware, having a laugh at herself right along with you. Her closing number only solidified this. Prefacing the story with “so I’ve had too much coffee today, I just want to flag that,” Wilkinson launched into a story of listening to the radio as a songwriter, the way she’s always listening for potential song ideas, when she noticed a pattern in what she was hearing. Without further ado, Alana began her closing song:
The Big Booty Mashup.
Featuring excerpts from everything from ‘The Thong Song’, to ‘Anaconda’, to ‘Fat Bottom Girls,’ the number was somewhere between an homage to the derriere, and a biting commentary on the music mainstream radio values. Demonstrating impressive range both vocally and instrumentally, the song was a creative feat, and a complete success. Featuring sock puppets (complete with tongues and eyes) dancing their way to a romantic ending, it was certainly a memorable way to end her livestream, and one that no one but Alana Wilkinson could have pulled off.
Alexander Gow
In a room lit by strings of fairy lights and a phone screen, Alexander Gow greeted the audience with a quiet acknowledgement of the unusual gig venue, ‘nice to be here, digitally, welcome to my little cave.’ Launching straight into his first song, ‘Lady Eucalyptus,’ Gow started with a drawn out guitar intro that was immediately captivating. With lyricism that it both strongly metaphorical, but connected and almost tangible to the listener, Alexander clearly feels what he sings, and communicates in a truly genuine way with his audience both while singing and talking. Moving on to his next song, ‘My Man,’ he took a different approach with his arrangement, opting for a raw style of guitar playing whose purpose is only to support the song, avoiding drawing attention away from the lyrics and vocals – yet somehow still felt complex and pleasant to listen to. The dynamic shape and build on this song was incredibly engaging, serving to capture and recapture the listener throughout the track.
Moving away from the entirely acoustic vibe for his next song, Gow played a simple backing track, giving the song more rhythm and vibe, and employing a memorable groove almost designed to be stuck in the listener’s head for hours later. Throughout the song, ‘Time and Date, New York,’ Alexander demonstrated the kind of connection with the music you simply can’t give music you didn’t write, creating a personal and enthralling performance overall.
For his final song Alexander again employed a band backing track, but for a wholly different kind of feeling. Clearly designed to be a full band number, his closing song was smoother and slower than his previous work, at times almost reminiscent of a wedding song. An incredibly strong performance overall, Alexander successfully delivered a genuine connection with his music and his audience, despite being miles apart.
Alex Lahey
“Hello everyone, how are you? Coming at you from my mother’s living room. There may be cat interference at some stage. I secretly hope that’s the case.”
Alex Lahey’s confidence and charisma shone through her slot from the first second, sitting perfectly on the balance of awareness of the unusual situation, but still making her set feel like a real gig. Opening with 2017’s ‘Every Day’s The Weekend,’ Alex demonstrated that with a band behind her, or solo on her mum’s couch; she can deliver the same power and force in her music. Alone with her acoustic guitar, the real shining element of this performance was her voice. Unimpeded by any other elements, her clear, strong vocal tone was a pleasure to listen to throughout. Moving onto her second song, Alex pulled out a song from her old band Animaux, called ‘Alaska.’ Giving the audience the softer edge of her performative side and vocal ability, it was a stark shift from ‘Every Day’s The Weekend,’ and an entirely welcome one. Escapism as a song, the opening line had listeners closely hooked for the whole thing.
If I could go anywhere
I’d leave here for Alaska
Making captivating use of empty space at the end of the song, she had her audience all but holding their breaths by the last line. For her next song, Lahey pulled out an unexpected cover – Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well.’ Recently also covered by Slowly Slowly, it’s interesting to see these tough Australian acts pulling from the catalogue of a pop princess, but the performances have unquestionably delivered, and then some. While Lahey’s cover didn’t take much creative interpretation of the song, the delivery was heartfelt and genuine, feeling as if it could have come from her own diary. Finally closing with her 2017 hit ‘I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself,’ Alex made sure to add ‘and I sure hope you’ve all been taking care of yourselves,’ before launching into the final number. The acoustic version of the usually loud, heavy track gave the song a whole new colour and emotional depth. With adapted melodic moments, and a soft, raw section where the peak of the song would usually be, the song was deeply engaging and magnetic. Ending with a surprise dance feature from Reggie the cat, Lahey reminded watchers ‘take care of each other, take care of yourselves, stay safe, and stay the fuck inside.’
Connor Black-Harry
Connor Black-Harry is the kind of artist that can deliver the same big energy on a ballad as on a rock song. Opening with the slow, folky song ‘Missing,’ his guitar playing was mesmerizing, employing emotional, nostalgic chords that perfectly supported the emotion of the song before he’d even sung a word.
Then he started singing.
With a soulful, rich vocal tone, Connor clearly felt the words he sung, and was entirely in the moment throughout his performance. As skilled a guitarist as singer, his vocals and guitar played equal parts in telling the story of the song. At its conclusion he supplied his own audience applause, and discussed the challenge of being a performer while in self-isolation, explaining that he had made the impulse decision to shave an ‘apocalypse mullet’ before realising he was booked for a Isol-Aid, and that his brother was playing Call of Duty in the next room and may short out the internet. His conversational approach blurred the barrier of phone screens and genuinely connected with his audience. Moving into his next song ‘Glad,’ a quacky rock song that was quite the contrast to his previous number, he was able to demonstrate different sides of both his instrumental and vocal proficiency. A far more upbeat song, the dynamic shape of the tune was continually engaging and catchy. The vocals on the chorus particularly hit perfectly and were an absolute delight to hear, as was the guitar solo near the end where Connor completely lost himself in the music and went for it whole-heartedly.
Introducing his next song as ‘another saddy,’ ‘Grind Me Down’ was the emotional peak of his set. With vocals starting from the onset of the song, the emotional core of the song hit the listeners immediately. Connor’s vocals were soft and vulnerable, and landed each note perfectly. Paired with a simpler guitar arrangement for a vocal focus, the effect was entirely captivating. Finally, leaving his audience on a higher note, Connor ended his set with ‘Sucker Punch,’ a song with a solid groove and catchy rhythm, the song was somehow stuck in viewers’ heads before he’d even started singing. His unique chord and voicing choices served the song beautifully, and holding nothing back with his vocals, Connor inherently leaves his audience wanting more.
Dallas Frasca
Looking like just as much of a rock star in her own lounge room as on a stage, Dallas Frasca started her slot with outspoken, easy going charisma, measuring the space between herself and her guitarist for social distancing requirements, and reminding viewers to support Support Act in the current climate. Frasca needed no time to warm into her performance, throwing herself entirely into her 2015 hit, ‘Today.’
Today, I used your name in vein today
Today, got to do to keep from being insane
Guess it’s meant to be my fate
From the first note, Dallas and her guitarist were completely locked in with one another, creating a strong groove between them. Obviously enjoying herself, Frasca somehow provided full stage-worthy presence and performance quality into a mobile phone, holding nothing back – especially not when it came to her vocal belts. No matter how many times you see Dallas Frasca perform, it’s hard not to be amazing by her rich, hard edged vocal tone, and Isol-Aid was no exception. Stepping to the side to give her guitarist the spotlight for his solo, Dallas has an inherently likeable presence that makes her compelling to watch.
Moving onto her next song, ‘The Day We Were Done,’ the pair delivered a more stripped back version of the song than the studio recording, which served the emotional content of the track beautifully, and gave it a different tone than her listeners would be familiar with. The next number, ‘Whisper’ was a completely entrancing highlight of her performance. With an ethereal, haunted tone in the intro, the song was immediately fascinating and compelling to watch. The instrumentation and melody of this song did as much, if not more, to tell the story, and created a stunning atmosphere throughout.
The final song of the set was ‘All My Love.’ A catchy, punchy number, nothing in this song was holding back. Every lyric was direct and hit hard, and the arrangement around them served it perfectly. Dropping down to the bare bones of the tune for the ending was a powerful, captivating decision, and was a strong finish to an exceptional performance.
Floodlights
In one of the largest band arrangements on Isol-Aid, Floodlights fit their whole group into their livestream on Sunday. All sitting the appropriate 1.5m apart, they jumped straight into their latest single, ‘Matter of Time.’ With an intro almost reminiscent of a Beatles song, the group were all immediately locked in and connected on the pulse with one another, and landed the clean stop ending flawlessly. Between the incredibly satisfying bassline, and lead singer Louis Parsons’ warm, emphatic vocals, ‘Matter of Time’ is an unquestionable hit. Moving onto a cover of ‘Reckless’ by Australian Crawl, the band’s clear Australian sound suited the song perfectly, and their variations in melody and arrangement truly made the song their own. Guitarist Ashlee Kehoe’s harmonica solos throughout the set were used beautifully and sparingly, avoiding the trap of feeling like a ‘show-off’ or ‘surprise!’ moment, they consistently sat cleanly in the larger arrangement, only enhancing the greater sound.
Following up with a cover of The Clean’s ‘Anything Could Happen,’ they were again locked in with one another and the groove, Kehoe’s guitar here a particular highlight. Following a fumble at the beginning they delivered an authentic rendition of the classic song, using a gorgeous, organic tone throughout that made it incredibly engaging for their audience. In songs and discussion alike, the band was genuine and friendly in their connection with one another and with their watchers, overcoming the barrier of a phone screen like it wasn’t even there.
Returning to their own material, the band played their 2019 single, ‘Nullabor.’ With a bare bones intro the track was immediately captivating, and the dynamic shape throughout the song only enhanced that. The song was a particularly strong showing of Parsons’ vocal ability and was genuine and enjoyable to listen to. Closing with the title track of their 2019 EP, ‘Backyard,’ the band delivered a strong, authentic performance from start to finish, leaving watchers wanting more.
Gena Rose Bruce
From the outset, Gena Rose Bruce is a magnetic performer. Her unique vocal tone can’t help but capture your attention, and better yet, she knows how to use it. Sitting in front of a pink flower lined shelf like her personal archway, Bruce dived into her first song, ‘The Way You Make Love,’ and with such a rare voice, listeners couldn’t help but be drawn into her honest, thoughtful lyricism. Acknowledging the strange nature of the performance, she speculated about where to look, ‘into the camera? At myself? Out the window?’ With a friendly shrug, and alternating between all three, she moved into her next song, ‘Rearview.’ Using a simple, sweet guitar intro, her arrangement worked perfectly to support the core emotion of the song without overshadowing the melody and lyrics. Gena’s lyrics hit hard with every word, and her melodies work just as hard to support the narrative. Not one for filler lines, she writes painfully personally and stunningly universally, resulting in music that is equal parts heart-wrenching and enthralling.
I hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for
I’ve just lost whatever it is I’m living for
Her next number was a cover of Harry Styles’ ‘Adore You.’ The song was a perfect choice for her voice and style, and her approach and interpretation made the track sound like it could have been pulled straight from her own catalogue. Launching into her 2018 song ‘I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You,’ the opening line and melody was immediately engaging. In one line, she had her audience hooked for the song.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over you
I don’t think I’ll ever want to
Making gorgeous use of empty space in the guitar arrangement, and a vulnerable, raw vocal tone, the song was carried by the lyrics, just as it should be. With lyricism like Gina employs in this song, anything that might take attention away from those words is completely unnecessary.
The dynamic shape of Bruce’s final song was beautifully executed. Speeding up and slowing down her tempo throughout the song for emphasis on the stronger moments created a musical experience that drew listeners in time and time again. One watcher put it best:
‘Could listen to your angel voice all day. If I hadn’t just died of a broken heart right now.’
Hatchie
Brisbane artist Hatchie delivered a set on Sunday evening that seemed to travel backwards, but somehow worked perfectly for her. Starting with strong catchy rhythms and heavy electronic arrangement, travelling back to a pure acoustic guitar and vocals song, Hatchie has a talent for knowing exactly how to not only pique her listeners’ interest, but draw them further in with every song. Opening with her 2019 song ‘Obsessed,’ Harriette delivered a song with a catchy, upbeat tune, but upon closer inspection, some heavy, honest lyrics hidden within.
And maybe you’ll outgrow me
Or maybe you’ll follow me down
What happens when the love you give
Is greater than the love you receive?
Impressive for a duo in isolation, between Harriette and Joe they had all the elements of a studio recording in their set, most of it happening live. The song was insanely catchy with a powerful hook, and the vocals at the end solidified it as something to be stuck in her viewers’ heads for the foreseeable future.
Hatchie isn’t shy or awkward as a performer, she is fearless in having fun, making her a delight to watch. Between songs she was conversational and laid back, somehow feeling less like an artist on a list and more like an old friend catching you up on her life. Her next song, ‘Bad Guy,’ is a slower track, but still running a pulse that keeps her listeners hooked. Amping up the lyric speed on the chorus contributed to a strong dynamic shape throughout the song that captured and recaptured the viewers. With frequent vocal belts this song was a great showcase for Harriette’s voice, employing depth on key moments but using a lighter tone in others gave the song a strong sense of light and shade overall.
Putting her electric guitar away and leaving instrumentation to Joe for their next song, ‘Sure,’ the performance was slowly stripping itself back, without losing any of the engaging quality so central to her music. Hatchie has a rare talent in songwriting – her lyrics could be ballads, but her melodies are always catchy and engaging, without sacrificing any emotional delivery. Her final song, ‘Her Own Heart,’ was the absolute highlight of the set. Harriette’s voice, the lyrics, and the arrangement all worked beautifully together, with the music working as hard as the lyrics to convey the overall feeling. One of the most memorable moments of Isol-Aid, Hatchie’s performance was flawless.
Jack the Fox
“Hope you’re all well, keeping sane, we’re not.”
Melbourne duo Jack the Fox sat in front of fairy lights and pot plants, having recently featured in Alana Wilkinson’s live stream in the crucial role of Sock Puppets. The pair were immediately friendly and relaxed, creating an atmosphere that was less of a live stream, and more like viewers were hanging out in the lounge-room with them. It was an important balance, when paired with the intensity and content of some of their music. Opening with their first ever song together, 2016’s ‘Brother,’ lead singer Angus described the song as being about ‘friendship and brotherhood, and sisterhood, and all the hoods.’
You are my brother
You are the only one
Hold me steady
Like a loaded gun
Opening with an unusual and captivating picking pattern by Justin on the guitar, the song was written on the perfect balance of a driving pulse, executed gently to carry the song forward. Angus’ clear, emotionally connected vocals were at times sound reminiscent of English singer Keaton Henson, and demonstrated some incredible vocal versatility as the performance wore on. As the song built, Justin traded the plucked rhythm, for a complex beat played on the body of the guitar, bringing the dynamics up to a whole new level. An incredibly strong start to their set, the duo had the audience in the palm of their hand by the end of the song.
In an incredibly honest and vulnerable moment, Angus spoke about the loss of his mother, and struggling in that time to find the balance between looking after himself, while being strong for the people around him. This was the inspiration for their 2019 single, ‘Open Water.’
I’m good but I’m not
Keep on going but my heart
Is unprotected, disconnected
The song’s delivery was deeply emotional and connected, and at its conclusion the pair took a moment to centre themselves before moving on in the set. Bringing out his didgeridoo, Angus took a moment to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which they were playing, before diving into their next song ‘Here We Are,’ a track about being present in life. With a stunning combination of guitar and didgeridoo in the intro, the tone for the song was something just shy of pure magic, that only got stronger as the song progressed. With a solid, catchy rhythm and great dynamic shape and range throughout the song, this song was a highlight of their performance.
Their final number, ‘Hasty,’ was something of a break away from the rest of their songs, with a strong blues and groove element, they clearly had the most fun performing this number, as it was the kind of song you can’t help but bop along to.
Delivering such an emotionally driven and clearly authentic set at any time would be a challenge for many artists, but even through a phone screen, Jack the Fox pulled it off flawlessly, unequivocally one of the best acts of the weekend.
Kat Edwards
Kat Edwards is the kind of artist that comes along once in a generation. With rich, emotive vocals; heartfelt, unflinching lyricism; and the kind of connection with both the music and with her audience that can’t be taught; Kat’s performance was both moving and a complete delight to watch. Her opening song featured direct, honest lyrics like ‘I don’t want to be anybody’s maybe,’ and paired with powerful vocals and thoughtful arrangement, was a strong start to her set.
With a great balance between the intensity she delivers with her music, and her personable, easy going approach to addressing the audience, Kat’s delivery throughout her set was continuously engaging and relatable. Moving into her next song, and latest release, ‘Don’t Call Me,’ demonstrated the full range of her vocal ability, depth, tone, range, and control all landed perfectly, paired with chords that help to carry the overarching emotion of the song beautifully. The song has a fantastic groove and some unexpected melodic moments that hit perfectly, creating hooks that will forever be stuck in her listeners’ heads. Moving onto her next song, and the emotional highlight of her set, Kat delivered a heart-wrenching ballad, with lyrics that refused to hold back from the painful truth.
I’m afraid of falling
And you’re afraid to try
So we just stick in circles
Knowing it’s not right
Knowing it’s not right
After discussing the current world crisis and value of supporting Support Act, Edwards launched into her final song, ‘Good Girl.’ From very first guitar chord this song hit hard. With an immediate catchy rhythm and a vague sense of unease delivered in the chords, the lyrics are direct and unflinching, and often just deeply satisfying to hear out loud for anyone who can relate to the song.
I’m a dog to you
You’re the man
Tell me to sit
When I want to stand
This version of the song had a much heavier, more active delivery than the studio recording, and it was great to hear such a powerful song coloured in a different way. Kat Edwards is unquestionably going nowhere but up in the music industry, and in just 20 short minutes she has proved, yet again, exactly why.
Liam Linley
Liam Linley appeared on screens in overalls and a bucket hat, immediately setting a casual, laid back kind of energy that he carried throughout his performance, and creating the personal, friendly performance space that he delivers so well. Diving straight into his first song, Linley included a flawless balance of catchy, intricate guitar riffs, and striking, image driven lyricism. The result was an engrossing performance that had his viewers settling in for the full set. After introducing his dog Luna, and informing the audience ‘it’s not unusual to get a kiss mid set,’ Liam moved into his next tune, a song about living in a rough apartment where his neighbours next door always seemed to be having a better time than him. Again, flawlessly delivered with a strong dynamic shape and involute combination of detailed guitar and powerful lyricism, the song was deeply engaging, and conveyed with a genuine connection to his work.
Linley then went on to discuss the current world situation, explaining how, as a performer, the songs he plays are often drawn from current events or stories on the news. Prefacing his decision to include a cover of Mark Ronson’s ‘2am,’ Liam told the heart-wrenching story of a man who, due to Covid-19, had been forced to take a break from Tinder.
Closing with a cover of John Prine’s ‘That’s the Way the World Goes Round,’ he was polished and personable to watch, putting his own spin on the song that gave the classic tune a new flavour, and felt like something Liam might have written himself.
The way that Linley performs isn’t overtly complex or postured, but rather clean and genuinely impactful to his listeners, with authentic personality and empathy that shines through, making him a true delight to watch. Liam is an artist whose work will stay with you long after the performance is over.
Lisa Mitchell
Lisa Mitchell has the calmest, most genuine presence you may ever see in a performer. Soft spoken and quietly conversational, Mitchell started her slot describing the way that she sees music – as a powerful tool for connection. Given to long descriptions prefacing her songs, listeners were able to realise the depth that goes into her writing very quickly, and had a fuller understanding of her music overall. Mitchell’s first piece was a song about a girl who becomes a river. With her gorgeous, soulful vocal tone, and phenomenal pitch control on held notes, she has a particular talent for exploring her ideas through melody as well as lyrics, with melodies that emulated the ebb and flow of a river throughout the song. With a smooth guitar pattern supporting her vocals, and a clear connection to what she’s singing, Lisa’s music is easy to listen to, and engaging on a deeper level for her listeners.
Her second song was full of unexpected but incredibly pleasing melodies, and creative rhythmic nuances that kept viewers on their toes in the best possible way. With skilful employment of the melody to tell the story, she opted for scatting over lyrics at several points, in a way that served the song perfectly. Followed by an as yet unreleased song, ‘Let Me Stay Here,’ Lisa discussed the importance of feeling connected with the land she lives on, and the community she lives in, particularly in the current climate.
Swapping acoustic guitar for piano for her last two songs, Mitchell included a throwback to her 2009 single ‘Coin Laundry,’ a far more upbeat, boppy tune than her earlier songs, and one that seems to have been written largely for the fun of performing it. Ending with another new song entitled ‘Blue,’ she demonstrated the very best of her vocal ability with the gorgeous, soulful melody. Mitchell’s performance was captivating and borderline hypnotic, and gave fans just a taste that the best is yet to come.
Phil Jamieson
Phil Jamieson delivers personality and stage presence purely by nature, and performing to a phone instead of an audience can’t change that fact. His opening song, ‘More Than You Are’ turns 25 this year, but Phil still delivers it as though the story happened yesterday. Clearly feeling the groove of his music, he’s continuously engaging to watch, and makes viewers want to move along with him. With a perfect balance of vocal and guitar prowess, Jamieson has mastered the art of making one support the other in a continuous loop. With some impressively high notes in the peak of the song, Phil then executed a seamless transition into his second song. Though the two songs were firmly different in tone and rhythm, the transition between the two was a thing of beauty.
Bringing in a harmonica for his third number, ‘Better Off Alone,’ Jamieson gave a strong emotional connection to the music, and powerful lyricism, that was beautifully underscored by gentle nostalgic chords, and well placed harmonica solos.
I never gave a reason
Of why I didn’t call
Now I’ve grown so tired
Of lying to myself
With a softer vocal approach on this than previous songs, the melody sat in a really genuine, vulnerable space that served the song well. Moving onto his next song ‘Sweet as Sugar,’ he brought the vocal energy right back, laughing in the moments where performance elements more fitting to stage didn’t quite translate to a lounge room live stream. With his dog howling along for the closing lines, the song looked fun to play, and was definitely catchy and enjoyable to watch for his viewers.
For his final song, ‘Just Ace,’ Jamieson let his guitar playing steal the show. The chords and rhythm were the catchiest part of the song and hooked the audience from the first note. Letting himself completely rock out as he would on stage, Phil delighted his audience with a full, droll, rock star ending, leaving his audience both genuinely impressed, and with a smile on their faces.
Pink Matter
Neo-soul band Pink Matter took a comic approach to performing in isolation, playing their own audience applause tracks and reminding the audience ‘I wanna see y’all dance,’ they handled the unusual circumstances well. The most impressive element, time and time again throughout their performance, was how closely they were locked in with one another. Through the complex rhythmic elements that define their music, there was not a single fumble in their set. Opening with their 2019 single ‘Wonder,’ they came in with a perfectly synchronized start, with a fantastic bass line and lead singer Kerry Raywood’s gorgeously atmospheric vocal tone particular highlights of the song. The group worked as a whole to keep the energy up, and kept the audience hooked all the way through. Pink Matter have proved themselves to be masters at creating breakdowns in their songs, unexpected and impossible to predict where they’ll go, they are entirely magnetic and captivating to hear.
Breaking from their ‘performance faces’ between songs, the girls became far more relaxed and relatable, chatting to their audience, recognizing the weird nature of the gig, before launching into their next song, a cover of ‘The Internet’s ‘Girl.’ With a bare synth riff for the intro, the girls kicked the song into gear on a tight balance of a full but minimalistic arrangement. Drummer Libby Scott mastered the complex high hat beat of the song and was mesmerizing to watch, never missing a beat in the constant high pulse she was driving. The end of the song was held a capella by Raywood and was the most powerful point of the night, a great moment of pure vocal tone.
Their third song, 2019 hit ‘Soul Fruit,’ exemplified all the best elements of the group. The perfect synchronicity of their operation, the high notes that completely landed, and a phenomenal breakdown with remarkable execution. Coming to a coordinated dead stop at the end of the track, the performance well and truly earned its animated applause.
Closing their set with an unreleased song, the band delivered an upbeat, catchy rhythm, and memorable bassline on this song that is an absolute earworm. With a delicate build-up of elements coming into the track, this song was a perfect way to end their set, leaving the audience on a high note.
Sam Cromack (Ball Park Music)
Front man Sam Cromack was representing Ball Park Music for Isol-Aid festival. Diving straight into his first song, ‘Glass Jar,’ Cromack delivered a very different sound to what Ball Park Music fans are familiar with. The stripped back acoustic set gave his melodies and lyrics the spotlight, and proved that they truly deserve it. Stunning execution of unexpected melodic moments, paired with visual, visceral lyricism, served to capture and recapture his audience throughout the set. Though his nerves were evident, Sam was a genuine and friendly presence through the screen, discussing the singularly odd feeling of performing to a large group of people without being able to see or hear any of them. His next tune, ‘Exactly How You Are,’ was served beautifully by the straight acoustic performance. Starting with a strong, engaging rhythm, Cromack went on to deliver some fantastic vocals, extending to the top end of his vocal range and landing every note perfectly. This song was an absolute pleasure to watch, and his connection while he sang couldn’t help but bring a smile to viewers’ faces.
In a particularly bold move, Sam called for audience participation in his next song, ‘The End Times.’ Warming into the performance, and getting more confident and energetic with each song, this song was a highlight when it came to connecting with his audience. Not only trusting that they would sing along at home, viewers were delivering their parts through the comments section, creating one of the most unified, heart-warming moments of the festival.
Diving straight into his next number, a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Don’t Let Me Down,’ the energy and power of his delivery was only going up. Completely rocking out throughout the song, and holding nothing back on the vocal belts, Sam finally completely lost himself in the music, and the effect was magnetic. Reaching both ends of his vocal range, and demonstrating some great guitar licks, this song was the absolute climax of his set.
His final song was the band’s latest single, ‘Spark Up!’ With a serious game face engaged, Cromack threw himself into the guitar intro, creating a catchy rhythm viewers couldn’t help but get caught up in. With a strong dynamic shape throughout, the song featured a range of unique melodic moments, and different vocal tones. With the appearance of his baby daughter in the final lines, Sam sung the end of the song to her, and it was a sweet, wholesome moment to finish a truly remarkable set.
