Live Review: The Jezabels w/ Ali Barter @ The Triffid

Back on tour and better than ever, The Jezabels gave an unforgettable performance at The Triffid on Thursday night, bringing Ali Barter along for the ride. Barter made her Triffid debut with confidence, and although she was dressed like a good school girl, her music was anything but pedestrian. The crowd had come prepared for Barter’s brand of rock with the messy edges tidied up, and as the band surfaced, their quiet confidence had the whole room instantly enthralled.

Although each member of the band looked like they were doing their own thing, somehow they worked perfectly together – the harmonies were spot on, creating a sweetness to contrast the rough instrumentation, and the ringing guitar notes had the crowd wallowing in appreciation. Barter’s natural confidence began to really shine through in Hypercolour. Her performance was physically subdued, instrumentally energetic, and vocally flawless, always holding something back to keep the audience in suspense, and fans could hardly resist the urge to yell out in the silence between songs

Wiping sweat from his brow, the drummer played with a euphoric look on his face, only momentarily stealing the attention from Barter as she stood aglow in the purple stage lights. The words took on a certain realness in a live setting, and the crowd had begun to settle into her sound, but it didn’t stop those high notes from surprising and intriguing right up to the sudden ending of each number. Barter finished strong with Girlie Bits followed by crowd-pleaser Far Away, ending the set on a high with a sucession of pitch-perfect belts.

Witnessing the beginning of The Jezabels’ set was almost like entering a spaceship to the sound of odd 60s style music, and when the band finally launched into their set after ten minutes of suspense, they drew from the crowd equal measures of relief and satisfaction. Frontwoman Hayley Mary spoke first, her scratchy voice refusing to behave beside the glowing synthesiser and soft percussion, but as she thrust her hips from side to side, the performance took on a new energy. Her powerful high range dominated the tune, dwarfing the mellow harmonies.

Things began to heat up during My Love Is My Disease, the crowd drawing in closer with each extension of Mary’s arms. The sound was subtly thick, built on harmonies and layers of guitar, though her powerful midrange cut through the noise with ease. The familiar tune of Mace Spray was almost like fingernails against an itch, and the whole room reacted in voice. Armed with a microphone and a confident strut, Mary took ownership of the stage. She threw her head from side to side until her hair stood on end, never allowing the energy in the room to drop.

The heat forced Mary to remove her jacket as the rest of the band played on in the shadows, an indescribable array of emotions showing on their faces. She was a tiny woman, but thrashing about under the stage lights she looked almost ferocious. Smile showed off Mary’s low range and her seasoned confidence, while the real band chemistry came through during Rosebud as the band smiled at each other across the stage. Exhausted after the song, she resorted to pouring water from her bottle over the back of her neck.

Easy To Love saw Mary pull notes out of thin air in an impressive demonstration of control. She battled against the weaving synth melodies and percussion, her voice transcending octaves as the guitarist wiped sweat from his face. The song had the crowd chanting along with such gusto that Mary had to laugh as she joked, “Do you know this one?” She looked as dramatic as ever silhouetted in front of the spinning lights, at home on the stage before a room of adoring fans.

Packed with songs to inspire motion in every imagination and body in the room, The Jezabels’ live show was all about Hayley Mary’s insatiable performance energy. The show couldn’t have finished in a more appropriate way as she jumped into the crowd, laughing that her plan to ride to the back of the room was always thwarted by security.

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