Review: The Songwriters Café ft. Helen Shanahan, Lucky Oceans, Boox Kid and Toby Beard

The Songwriters Café at Moore & Moore Café
w/ Helen Shanahan, Lucky Oceans, Boox Kid and Toby Beard
Monday, December 11, 2023

Hosted in the picturesque Moore & Moore Cafe in central Fremantle, The Songwriters Cafe is a series of raw and intimate performances from local singer-songwriters that perform round-robin style, each taking turns to introduce their song, talk about the history and meaning behind it, and then perform it. Hosted by the delightfully effervescent Helen Shanahan, this night was the encore performance, having had a sold-out room only the week before.

 It was a beautiful, clear Monday night, which set the scene perfectly for the stylishly designed and lit Moore & Moore Café. The audience gathered in the front room of the venue, which was set up with the performers on chairs in a circle in the middle of the room, all facing inward, and the audience directly behind them in concentric circles, with no separation between performer and audience. This is as close to someone performing in your lounge room as you can get.

Helen Shanahan introduced the night and her first song, Canvas, the title track off her 2022 album. Shanahan's voice is effortlessly immaculate. On her second round, Shanahan invited Lucky Oceans to join in with her on Chokehold, joking that she promised to lighten the mood on the next round. In what was a very touching moment, Shanahan invited her husband, Matt Allen, into the circle to sing with her on her next track, the beautiful Finding Gold.

Toby Beard and her harmonica player Jean were up next with her song On the Road. Toby is a well-seasoned performer, and her experience and confidence showed as she commanded the room's attention. Before her second song, Quicksand, Beard shared the story of a family member passing away and the effect that it had on the rest of the family. The intimate setting didn’t stop Beard from going for the big notes that reinforced the emotion and power that were held inside the song. Her next song, Slow Down, written about her son, who suffered illness early in life, brought tears to many eyes in the room.

Boox Kid talked about the importance of the people who are close to us in our lives and that they are there for a reason, as he introduced and played his single Wrecking Ball with string player Johan. Boox told stories about his mother's origin and her experience as one of the stolen generation. He quipped a poignant anecdote about meeting Pauline Hanson as a child and being confronted with racism even at such an early age. His rendition of “Aunty," Gina William's Wicked Heart, sung in language, was absolutely brilliant. This kid's voice is amazing, and being sung in language seems to bring out something even more rich and emotive.

As they moved around the circle, Lucky Oceans was next with his lap-steel slide guitar and prompted everyone in the room to join in and help sing the chorus of “Music is the colour of our skin." While Lucky Oceans still shared emotional stories of his father and growing up in the States, his demeanour carries a light-hearted and positive tone that is very welcoming and entertaining for this listener. You could listen to him talking, telling stories, or playing music for hours. He again invited the crowd to join in on the song he wrote for his father, Shorty George.

Running slightly over time, each performer got in one more song: Boox Kid with Bird on a Wire, Lucky Oceans with his iconic The Bell, and Toby Beard closed out with You Are The Song. By this time, all performers were playing along, and the audience joined in with the chorus, “You are the song."

Hearing the stories and inspirations for these songs added an extra depth to the already raw-as-you-can-get and intimate atmosphere. This was emotion at its purest as the performers poured their hearts and souls out through their music. It was a really amazing personal and musical experience to absorb in this magical venue. If you haven't been down to check out one of the Songwriters Cafe shows hosted by Helen Shanahan, make sure you keep an eye out for the next series when it returns in 2024.

ANTHONY JACKSON

Photos by Tashi Hall