Review: Martha Wainwright surpasses all expectations

Published on Thursday 23 October 2008 10:01

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT has a huge musical heritage. Her father is Loudon Wainwright III, her mother, Kate McGarrigle and her brother is Rufus Wainwright. But that's not all: her aunt, Anna McGarrigle, her step-sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche and her extended family, including the Roches, all add to the enormous weight of expectation the 32-year-old Quebecois must meet.

Not only does Wainwright meet these expectations head on, she pummels them senseless before breakfast. She's just that talented and powerful a performer. The crowd standing in The Picture House last night eagerly and attentively listened and roared alternately as the singer trawled through her catalogue of songs: each of them intelligent, searching snippets of genre busting lyricism and emotion.

Opening the show were the fabulous Angus And Julia Stone, Australian siblings whose bluesy, folk-trance material turned most of the crowd from vaguely curious bystanders into a fully engaged audience, keen to hear each new slice of Antipodean invention. Whether two new musical stars were born or not, only time will tell. Certainly, a whole new raft of fans were created.

There was nothing haphazard about their inclusion in the show, because their slightly wispy, hippy-chic sound was a perfect scene setter for Wainwright's folk, country and definitely rock tinged music.

Stylishly outfitted in blue jeans and a tartanesque corset, topped off with a jet black beret, she had a witty line in banter between numbers.

Regarding her corset: "Wearing this thing, it's hard to breathe. Not only that, but we've just had a big Indian meal!" Remembering where she was, she added, grinning, "but we're in Scotland, so you've got to!"

Opening with Comin' Tonight, Wainwright played an hour and a half set from her small but fairly well-formed repertoire. Bleeding All Over You, the dark and brooding Jesus And Mary and Hearts Club Band saw her stepping up gear after gear. She took off her jacket, put down her acoustic guitars and picked up a well used electric and punctuated the set with Ball And Chain.

The band left her to herself to sing I Wish I Were on acoustic and, interestingly, her sound expanded to fill the space the band had left.

Her voice is bursting with range and strength, and the chances are it still hasn't been tested to it's full limits.

You Cheated Me, New York and the well loved Factory closed the main show, while the notorious and solo acoustic BMFA got the encore into full swing.

As something of a surprise, Wainwright introduced her mother, Kate McGarrigle who, she said, "had just got off the plane". McGarrigle played piano as her daughter sang Dis, Quand Reviendras Tu by Monique Serf, a French torch singer from the 50s through to the 90s, perhaps better known as 'Barbara'.

Wildly applauding her mother's appearance and their performance, the crowd were treated to just one more song: Pink Floyd's See Emily Play, with most of her band swapping instruments, was punky and throbbing, yet perfectly sung at the same. A suitably quirky closer for an outstanding performance.