Lisa Crawley – Tuning Fork November 13, 2015

 

It may have been Friday the 13^th, but it was a lucky night for Auckland music fans as Lisa Crawley brought her Up In The Air EP release tour to town. This would be the first show on the tour to feature Lisa with the backing of her three-piece band, including bass player Cass Basil, also of Tiny Ruins.

Lisa has been recording her own material for over five years now and each release has found her honing her songwriting craft, becoming more and more adept and creating memorable melodies and heartfelt lyrics, so it’s no wonder that she focussed on her most recent material, leaving the best for last.

The evening began with a short but lively solo set from Edward Castelow who did his best to get a rise from the crowd. He even went as far as to sit out in the audience with his guitar. But really, all he has to do is come up with more songs like Her Heart Breaks Like A Wave…a little power-pop gen from his latest album, Mufti Day, and all will be well.

Lisa Crawley and her band stepped out just after 9:30. She was accompanied by the same musicians who helped her record her 2013 album, All In My Head…drummer Stephen Thomas, guitarist Sam Taylor and Cass Basil on bass. All chimed in with backing vocals throughout the night.

Lisa is a seasoned performer who has no trouble holding a crowd’s attention when she performs solo, but it was a treat to hear her songs fleshed out with the added instrumentation of her band…they really took off.

Crawley opened with a clutch of tunes from All In My Head, with Better Lands standing out for its stark beauty, with Lisa accompanied only by Taylor’s guitar.

After Trying Out Tonight, she dipped into her debut album, 2011’s Everything That I Have Seen for a lyrical Birds and Leaving, featuring some of the evening’s finest harmonizing from the band.

With years of experience playing covers in clubs in her adopted hometown of Melbourne, as well as far flung dives and bars from Japan to London, Lisa has become a proficient keyboard player and someone who can tell a story of two from the stage. On this night she regaled us with tales of singing various national anthems at sporting events, inspired by the Breakers basketball game taking place at the adjacent Vector Arena.

Then the music really kicked into high gear as she performed the five songs from the new EP. All are infused with strong melodies, with my favourites being Showgirls and the title track, Up In The Air, which carries a moody noir-ish-feel to it thanks to Taylor’s twangy guitar.

Lisa Crawley will be performing a few more shows in the Auckland and Hamilton area over the next few days, with various configurations of her band. Get lucky and check them out.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski:

Lisa Crawley set list:

1. What Would I Give
2. Imagination
3. Tide Is Low
4. Better Lands
5. Trying Out Tonight
6. Birds
7. Leaving
8. Best Friend
9. Safe And Sound
10. Is There Something Wrong
11. Mayday
12. Showgirl
13. Elizabeth
14. Up In The Air