You’ll often find Adelaide singer-songwriter Laura Hill strumming her guitar solo on a Sunday afternoon at a myriad of local seaside venues. But on Friday night, she took to the Paradiso Spiegeltent stage with her entire backing band, The Tuesday Bandits, and brought the house down. It was a much fuller and richer sound than you could imagine this often quietly spoken girl could produce, but she did it with ease.
Hill has obviously been working towards her ‘big tent’ appearance at the Adelaide Fringe Festival for a long time, telling her audience stories of years gone by busking in the gardens surrounding the venue. She seemed grateful that her fans have helped her to achieve this dream.
Laura opened the show with ‘New Jeans’, taken from her most recent EP The Guava Tree. The band set a steady groove from the start that continued throughout the show, as they weaved their way through all genres, from pop to blues and even a bit of roots and reggae. Hill, the ever-commanding front woman with electric guitar in hand, wanted to make sure we were having as much fun as her, even encouraging a few sing-a-long moments early on.
The middle of the show saw Hill revert to her acoustic guitar, with songs like ‘Hey Owen’, about unrequited love, and a preview of the title track from her soon to be released album, Blue Skies.
With themes like love, life and travel featuring strongly in Hill’s lyrics, it’s hard not to be swept away in your mind to a calm coastal town where the sun always shines. The hour spent listening to Laura Hill and The Tuesday Bandits skipped away in no time at all. Her songs can be likened to other surf-singers like Jack Johnson, but they were often sung with the voice of a crooner like Norah Jones, Hill reaching for the lower end of her vocal range to convey that raw emotion.
As the show drew to a close, Hill made effective use of her song ‘Poco Loco’, meaning a little bit crazy, to introduce us to her formidable band. Before introducing each member, Laura had a clever rhyme and a nickname for each of the musicians before they were given the chance to showcase their respective talents.
Hill closed the show with ‘Mexico With Me’, a slow and soothing track that matched the summery blue and white polka dot dress she was wearing and the simple white flower in her long blonde hair. The song seemed to sum up everything that is Laura Hill – blue skies, crystal clear ocean waters, and the open road ahead.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Laura Hill – Under the Guava Tree
Paradiso Spiegeltent, The Garden of Unearthly Delights
1 March
Adelaide Fringe 2013
www.adelaidefringe.com.au
15 February – 17 March
