Nadéah loves pinot noir (and poetry)

Nadéah, an Australian born singer/songwriter, made her name in Europe with the bands LoveGods and Nouvelle Vague and has now launched her solo career in style.

Her energetic new show, Venus Gets Even (which coincidentally name-shares with her new solo album), is an exciting and eccentric blend of indie-punk-rock, emotion charged ballads, anecdotes and personality.

It took a while for Nadéah to settle in to the performance, but once warmed up, she was on a roll. Nadéah’s comfort and confidence clearly increased with time (increasing the houselights helped create atmosphere) and as a result so did the audience’s enjoyment.

There was a beautiful cohesion and balance in the band despite the vast musical variety. The trio: electric double bassist, leftie-drummer and superb guitarist who also provided strangely androgynous backing vocals, complemented Nadéah perfectly. Nadéah’s self-taught musical skills were also on show, frequently switching between keyboard, guitar and percussion.

[pull_left]This exciting, quirky, honest and fun production will keep your toes tapping throughout the night, and ensure that Nadéah’s tunes remain in you head for days[/pull_left]

Nadéah’s honesty – “fake last song – that’s what we do in cabaret, right?” – was particularly charming, and the stories behind her songs were amusingly off-the-cuff. But the habit of introducing each number with “this is a song about…” quickly becomes tedious.

The audience participation in ‘Pinot Noir & Poetry for Breakfast’ was a highlight – now the catchy refrain won’t get out of my head! And the pure beauty behind the simple ballad ‘Song I Just Wrote’ proves that the most touching lyrical content is personal experience. In fact, the majority of Nadéah’s works draw upon her pained past, however a comic twist, lyrical quirks and extremely catchy tunes ensure that the music never seems self-indulgent.

Essentially Venus Gets Even is a well-polished album promotion gig, with a gentle nod in the direction of cabaret. Regardless, this exciting, quirky, honest and fun production will keep your toes tapping throughout the night, and ensure that Nadéah’s tunes remain in you head for days.