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• KATE MILLER-HEIDKE ADDS HOBART DATE TO ‘O VERTIGO’ NATIONAL TOUR 2014 On her tour throughout March-April 2014, Kate’s set list will include brand new songs from ‘O Vertigo!’ as well as many favourites from her full body of work. These shows are all-ages (although under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the Brisbane show). Accompanying Kate will be long-term collaborator Keir Nuttall on guitar, along with musical freak-genius John Rodgers on violin and piano. 12 March – The Seymour Centre, Sydney www.seymourcentre.com // 02 9351 7940 14 March – The Spiegeltent, Garden of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide www.gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au 18 March – The Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne www.ticketek.com.au 21 March – The Quarry, Perth www.ticketmaster.com.au 28th March – St. David’s Cathedral (Heavenly Sounds Perfomance) http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=KATEMILH14 Tickets on sale, Friday November 15th 5 April – The Tivoli, Brisbane www.ticketmaster.com.au
• LIVE REVIEW: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE + SWEET JEAN - ATHENAEUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE (18.03.14) Right on the back of releasing her fourth LP O Vertigo!, Kate Miller-Heidke has embarked on a national album tour. Her show at Melbourne’s majestic Athenaeum Theatre was nothing short of magical. First up, there was a short and extremely sweet support set by Melbourne duo Sweet Jean. We were treated to a handful of harmony-filled folky tunes, often featuring banjo or autoharp – and with those two instruments, honestly, what could ever go wrong? Sweet Jean not only killed it with their unbelievable musical talents, but also banter-wise, providing plenty of laughs and anecdotes. Their standout track for me was the beautiful, melancholic “Parachutes”. Something about Alice Keath’s voice reminded me a little of Zooey Deschanel, in a great, great way. Sweet Jean are doing something really cool, and I think they were the perfect pick for the support slot on this tour. After a short visit, Kate Miller-Heidke took to the stage in an incredible sparkly dress and donning a magnificent headpiece, opening with “Rock This Baby To Sleep”. It was a sparsely accompanied rendition, initially just accompanied by John Rodgers on violin, and then an added keyboard layer in the second verse. It was truly mesmerising, and KMH went on from there to play a long, stunning set filled with tracks new and old. Highlights included when Kate invited special guest Paul Dempsey onstage to sing “Share Your Air”, a duet recorded with Passenger on O Vertigo!, and “Drama” where Kate’s guitarist and husband Keir Nuttall played the role of Drapht. Keir also got his time to shine, singing a song as Franky Walnut, which was truly hilarious. “O Vertigo!” is even more incredible live than on recording – it’s a song that is so quintessentially Kate, and its ecstasy is infectious. “Words”, the first track I ever heard by Kate, is always beyond brilliant live and this time was no exception, causing the crowd to erupt at its final chord. “The Devil Wears a Suit” from Nightflight was shiver-inducing, with Kate inviting Sweet Jean back onstage to sing harmonies and play banjo and guitar. Kate also performed two covers – as any fan of her work would know, her covers are always pretty spectacular. Yet again, she delivered. Her first cover during her main set was a tribute to Chrissy Amphlett, a smashing version of Divinyls’ “I’m Jealous”. And for the encore, Kate, Keir and John took to the stage again and played Beyonce’s “Run The World (Girls)” which I’m pretty sure made my year, if not my whole life. It was such an excellent cover: it’s not every day that a cover of Beyonce can ever live up to the original but this one totally did! The breathtaking Athenaeum Theatre certainly proved the perfect venue for Kate’s voice and music. As always, she provided shockingly top-notch vocals, the addition of violin on many tracks was rad, and Keir’s guitar work was predictably awesome. I also loved the timing of the O Vertigo! tour in relation to the album release: she gave us just enough time to familiarise ourselves with her new material, but the songs are still so hot off the press that it’s all very exciting. Hearing Kate’s brand new tracks live for the first time was truly special, and this tour is not something to miss out on, if you can get along to any of her remaining shows.