Review: Ian Lilburne at The Ellington Jazz Club
Ian Lilburne at The Ellington Jazz Club
Monday, October 26, 2026
Perth singer-songwriter Ian Lilburne celebrated the release of his new album, Left Hand of Darkness, with a launch show at a packed-out Ellington Jazz Club on Monday night.
Despite the venue and the company he keeps, Left Hand of Darkness is not a jazz record. Instead, it draws on neo-classical and folk influences, bearing the hallmarks of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, while the lyrics draw from the world of literature, with the likes of James Joyce, T.S. Eliot and Vladimir Nabokov permeating its songwriting. This literary sensibility is no surprise, given Lilburne’s talent also extends to poetry performances, with the writer a regular at the Perth Poetry Club’s Saturday afternoons at the Moon Café in Northbridge.
Although Lilburne has been playing guitar for more than 50 years, he only began recording and performing publicly around 20 years ago. Now on his fourth album, Left Hand of Darkness sees him take a new approach musically while keeping the lyrics firmly front and centre.
Whereas previous records have featured up to 12 musicians, Lilburne stripped things back for this release, enlisting Grammy Award-winning Perth violinist Emily Gelineau on violin and backing vocals, with Lilburne on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and bass.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pair first crossed paths at Sincerely L. Cohen, a Fringe World show. Lilburne recognised in Gelineau not only her musical ability but also a shared reverence for the legendary Canadian songwriter—enough common ground to build a creative partnership. While Gelineau is more often heard playing the upbeat gypsy jazz and Brazilian-style sounds of Jazz Tupiniquim, the Cohen show revealed a more reflective side that proved a natural fit for the album.
For the launch, Lilburne assembled an impressive lineup of Perth musicians to bring the album’s arrangements to life on stage, with Gelineau on violin, Sam Ray—with whom he has been singing for around a decade—on backing vocals, and Lucy Browning on double bass. At the centre of the ensemble was Lilburne, his nylon-string acoustic guitar in hand.
The instrumental Chaosmos proved an easygoing opener, followed by Nullarbor Plain Song, which recounted a journey along the “wild and treacherous road”. Lens of Love travelled further across the continent to Melbourne, bringing to life a city inhabited by “Boho boys with Rabbi beards/ Boho girls chic androgynes.”
The most touching moment of the night came with Rainbow, written by Lilburne’s late friend Dave Rose, and its timelessly compelling chorus: “You can look, but you can’t touch the rainbow.”
Described as a song cycle, Left Hand of Darkness was performed in its entirety, but this was far more than a straightforward run-through of the record. The additional instruments and vocals took the songs in new directions, while Lilburne introduced each track with stories and insights into its origins. Ray also took the vocal lead on several tracks, while Browning brought out the bow on another, adding a swelling low end to the arrangement.
Despite this being their first live performance together, the group sounded remarkably well rehearsed, demonstrating a strong grasp of the material while clearly enjoying the opportunity to perform it. Surrounded by some of Perth’s most seasoned musicians, Lilburne was noticeably comfortable at the helm, setting the tempo and mood with his rich fingerpicking.
This was particularly evident on his ode to Joyce, Seaspawn. Inspired by the Irish writer’s remarkable yet challenging opus Ulysses, it proved one of the evening’s more intricate tracks, as Lilburne guided the ensemble through its creative twists and turns, building towards its eerie proposition: “You find my words dark? It’s in our souls.”
The album’s closing tracks, Shrinking Ledge and Into the Storm—an ominous meditation on the rise of Trump—brought the album to its conclusion. The group then stayed on stage for a bonus, slightly risqué treat: a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel.
As the band took its final bow, the love for Lilburne, his fellow musicians and the record was palpable. It was a warm, relaxed yet thoroughly professional performance, and one well worth repeating. It’s little surprise, then, that Lilburne is taking the album back to the stage, with another show lined up at Fremantle Workers Club on Wednesday, January 13.
With Gelineau set to jet off to Brazil next year, this may be the last chance to catch this particular lineup together, making it one worth seeking out. To check out the album or buy tickets, visit ianlilburne.com
BRAYDEN EDWARDS
Photos by Alan Holbrook
