The recent Swifties juggernaut was so all-encompassing that you’d be forgiven for thinking she was the only contemporary woman songstress with mega hits and a devoted fan club. But Mitski (real name Mitsuki Laycock) is a US/Japanese singer and songwriter who’s also garnered a cult following with her suite of emotional, plaintive and swoonsome numbers. Her tracks may be not as bright bubblegum chirpy as many of Taylor Swift’s, but the two traverse the same ground when it comes to writing and delivering songs about wayward feelings, self-realisation, loneliness and hearts cast asunder.
Mitski was the latest inspiration in the Candlelight Tribute series, in which popular musicians are reinterpreted by another set of musicians, sometimes through tunes only and without accompanying words. Upcoming gigs in Melbourne include, yes, a tribute to Swift, but also the Beatles, Queen, Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin, Radiohead, Adele, Blur and Gorillaz. The series is a worldwide phenomenon, set in different locations and deploying a raft of musos taking on a variety of genres from jazz to pop, ballet and movie soundtracks.
On this night the very fine string quartet Eclective Strings, comprising two cellos, a viola and a violin, serenaded us, surrounded by multitudes of (battery-powered) candles on a raised stage. The setting was romantic and poetic. In an hour-long show, the concert managed to present many of Mitski’s ballads, across multiple albums. The appreciative crowd was delighted to hear stirring renditions of songs that included ‘My Love Mine All Mine’, ‘Nobody’, ‘Your Best American Girl’, ‘First Love/Late Spring’, ‘Me and My Husband’, ‘Francis Forever’, ‘I Bet on Losing Dogs’ and an encore of ‘Washing Machine Heart’.
It’s a clever idea to coax those intimidated by a full-blown orchestra playing elevated symphonies written by long dead white composers to come along to this concert-lite experience. Here, the ambience is far more chilled and less imposing than the plush and serious surrounds at Hamer Hall or the Recital Centre. In fact, we were told that karaoke-like sing-alongs were permissible, but, while the audience was enthusiastic, no one took up that dare – though the girl beside me quietly sang and hummed along to some of the catchier tunes.
The enjoyment was amplified for fans of Mitski’s work, but familiarity with it was not mandatory – simply immersing yourself in the sounds of these orchestral manoeuvres in the candlelit dark was joyful enough.
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This candlelight tribute to Mitski was an entertaining reminder of the range of the singer’s oeuvre, but also an outstanding display of the quartet’s sensitive interpretation of her work. The only thing better would have been Mitski fronting up herself to take the microphone.
Candlelight: A Tribute to Mitski was performed for one night only on 9 March 2024 at the Athenaeum Theatre by Eclective Strings.
