LANIE LANE Steve Smyth / Warning Birds

LANIE LANE

Steve Smyth / Warning Birds

Amplifier
Sunday, May 13, 2012

Lanie Lane, the retro-styled songstress adored by Jack White and countless others, drew an eclectic sound for her second WA show on her To The Horses tour. Not only were there some similarly ‘50s-inspired girls vamping it up in the audience, there were also plenty of older couples there on a cosy night out.
    The night’s entertainment kicked off with local five-piece group Warning Birds, who performed rich, melodic indie pop songs in the same vein as Boy & Bear and Perth’s own Split Seconds; tunes that are deceptively simple and manage to entrance a rowdy pub audience. They put on an energetic, raw performance and are definitely another stellar addition to Perth’s local scene.
    Although I assumed the next act was, in fact, a roadie that had gotten far too carried away with testing the guitars, the delightfully shambolic Steve Smyth was up next, with his unique style of rockabilly mixed with a more grungy rock sound. Combined with his unusual voice, the songs sound like whiskey-soaked, forgotten Tom Waits B-sides - kooky, odd tunes that are strangely appealing. Even the fact that he seemed to have hit the liquor bottle pretty hard before coming on stage didn’t lessen his powerful performance. Let’s be honest, what great musician hasn’t tripped over their own amp or spoke gibberish into the microphone between songs? It was a ridiculously captivating show - if you get the chance to see the hirsute man in action, you should snap up tickets and discover your new favourite drinking music.
    Smyth’s set may have kept the crowd entertained, but punters were getting a bit restless waiting for the lovely Lanie Lane to appear onstage. Stealthy glances at watches and phones and mutters of “But it’s a Sunday night” were gradually increasing until Lane’s band strode onstage, looking every bit as polished and adorably retro as the main lady. Lane quickly joined them onstage, looking every inch the ‘50s vamp in a red and blue striped dress and her signature red lips and quiffed hairdo. Launching into What Do I Do, Lane not only showed off her own spectacular voice but also managed to showcase the amazing talents of her backing band. Consisting of a double bass/ukulele player, lead guitarist and drummer, the band all work incredibly well together and work themselves hard to put on a great live show.
    It was a little startling to see how different Lane’s stage presence was to the Lanie Lane that came out in the between-songs dialogue. While she effortlessly simpered and pouted her way through songs like Bettie Baby and the beautiful acoustic version of Don’t Cry, by all accounts she seemed like a slightly shy, genuinely enthusiastic girl in between ripping it up on the guitar. Another highlight was the inclusion of her recent Triple J Like A Version track, a cover of The Black Keys Gold On The Ceiling. After revealing that her boyfriend had hailed from Perth and “I lived here for a while, so you can claim me if you like”, there’s no doubt there’ll be a scramble for Perth punters to do just that.
_TARA LLOYD