Adalita, Amaya Laucirica, Bridget Fahey and the Bone Rattlers @ The Gov, Adelaide 12/5/2023
Adalita’s Inland tour landed at The Gov on Friday night. A celebration of her latest album release, Inland (2022), the tour also commemorated a stellar career spanning over thirty years.
Local artists Bridget Fahey & the Bone Rattlers kicked the night off with a brief but well-enjoyed set of gritty pub folk with a twang of alt-country. The cowboy hats were out in force supporting this fantastic band who set the tone for the entertaining night ahead.
Amaya Laucirica followed in a delicate offering of wistful melodies with far-reaching luscious depths. Her enchanting vocals had the audience transfixed as she sang of dissatisfaction, recognition, love, and loss. Her solo performance was an example of the power of music in the absence of extravagance.
An element of extravagance, as much as The Gov can offer at least, arrived when Adalita came on stage. Dazzling with a carefully curated set that championed the stunning Inland almost in its entirety and in track listing order, followed by a collection of classics, she was in top form.
Joined by Matt Bailey (Paradise Motel) on bass, Dan McKay (Nation Blue) on drums, and Lewis Boyes (Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males) on lead guitar, Adalita launched into Private Feeling. The opening song of Inland is the centre of the record and the ideal live opener.
Not wasting any time to address the small, dedicated crowd, Adalita offered warm words to ‘the best crowd of the tour’ in between each song. Her personable, down-to-earth nature shone through. She backed this sincerity up with pure talent.
For over an hour, we were treated to a phenomenal set. Choosing a highlight is near impossible. Equations flaunted Adalita’s stunning vocals – all the songs do, to be fair. Dazzling was an early low-tempo gem. Savage Heart generated a ‘fuck yeh’ from an audience member, which in turn, had Adalita giggling through the opening bars.
A song seldom played live, Listened Hard, was so good it’s a wonder why it’s not a staple of the set. Then, special guest Laucirica joined the band on stage for some tambourine action on Missed You. The guy heard saying ‘so good, so, so good’ as it ended wasn’t wrong.
Abandoned Houses concluded the Inland proportion of the show. It reminded us what an outstanding album it is. Annihilate Baby took us back a decade and amplified the rock. While I Want Your Love began shaky and required a tempo fix before smoothing out to all sorts of coolness. The rawness of imperfection and owning it was endearing and heart-warming.
Trust is Rust and Blue Sky rounded out the main set. It left us wanting more. For a moment, it wasn’t clear if we would get more. Not one to disappoint, Adalita returned with an epic encore. Too Far Gone, the emotional song about former Magic Dirt bassist, Dean Turner, was nothing short of brilliant.
Adalita, the iconic Australian rock Goddess, again delivered a highly captivating live performance as she has for many decades. Her ability to connect with the audience promoted inclusivity and harmony. It was a fun evening more akin to an intimate performance than a full-blown rock gig.
Live Review By Anita Kertes