Live Review

Brooke Fraser – Oran Mor, Glasgow

• 12th Apr 2011

New Zealander Brooke Fraser has a Fiji born father, now lives in Australia and is three eights Scots. So this was a special night for the singer as she played her first show in the country of her ancestors. And Fraser made a fine impression with a quality set that was well received by a large Glasgow crowd.

Support came from Londoner Liz Lawrence whose soft folks songs played over an acoustic guitar were pleasant, if rather similar. Backed by a guy playing a variety of small percussion instruments and providing vocal harmonies, Lawrence seemed to play the entire set with her eyes closed and didn’t really connect with her audience. The closing Monday Morning, a more lively pop song with a catchy chorus, was perhaps the best of her set.

Brooke Fraser is big down under, as they say, and her musical talents are now coming to the notice of European audiences. She combines a fine voice that has depth and range aplenty with a deft songwriting touch and skills on both guitar and electric piano.

Fraser came onto the stage alone and performed a fine sole version of The Thief, her strong and emotive vocals heard in silence. She allowed her voice to soar towards the end of the track, giving a hint of what was to come.

The singer was then joined on stage by a guitarist and a drummer. The intricate and subtle work from a wide body Gretsch complemented Fraser nicely, although the drums at times seemed to detract from her fine voice.

Much of the set came from new album Flags, but there were several tracks from Fraser’s second album Albertine, including the excellent title track and Deciphering Me, which featured soft almost wistful lyrics before rising into a fine chorus and finishing with a more strident acoustic guitar.

The title track of the new album, Flags, featured a melancholy performance of a song about injustice. The vocals were soft and passionate before Fraser finally allowed her voice to soar, showing the power she has at her disposal. Add in some fine slide guitar and you have an excellent song.

Crows and Locusts, the story of a story of a farming family watching the destruction of their crops, was another highlight. This is an atmospheric song that saw the singer picked out by a single spotlight as she told the tale simply yet conveyed all the emotion that it deserved. And she switched from guitar to finish the song on the electric piano too.

The set was closed with the single Something In The Water, an up-tempo summer song that turned into a singalong as the audience joined in at Fraser’s request. It was a fitting end to an excellent set.

The encore saw the band come back onto the stage within minutes to perform Sailboats and Coachella from the new album, before Fraser was left alone at the electric piano. She closed a fine night of music perfectly with a tender and note perfect delivery of the love song Arithmetic.

Brooke Fraser demonstrated considerable musical talents as well as a fine stage presence as she joked with the audience between songs. She has a voice that deserves to be heard, and will surely achieve the same level of success in the UK as she already has back home.