M Craft / emma russack

Andy J Ryan Apr 26, 2023

M. Craft, Oxford Art Factory, Friday 15 January, 2010

So this is the state of things in Sydney in 2010, on the way to the Oxford Art Factory I went past a line of 600 or so metres of dolled-up people lining up to get into the last ever Purple Sneakers. Upon arriving to the OAF there were only maybe a dozen people scattered around its periphery. Regardless, Emma Russack strode out with a violin and drums accompaniment and a voice that defied her small stature. After a coy introduction she began, eyes clasped shut and swaying in time to her subtle strumming as she lost herself in the songs. It was really quite gripping, like a slightly less atmospheric Dirty Three being fronted by Cat Power. The last two songs eased the tone a bit, sing-a-longs about some school bullies and the finale, ‘Sex on the Beach’ – the sandy shagging type, not the cocktail – a bit fun and frivolous end to a great set.

The crowd had filled out by the time M. (for Martin) Craft took the stage. The amps and the drum kit were delightfully decorated with white fairy lights which provided a fitting balmy backyard evoking backdrop for the sparsely-strummed opening number ‘The Last Leaf of Summer’. The male/female vocal exchanges of ‘Sweets’ made it just so before new album opener and beery ballad ‘Beautiful Future’ kicked things on a bit.

Most recently seen on these shores as guitarist for touring Britpop icon Jarvis Cockers’ latest rather rollicking album, his own work takes on a rather more unobtrusive tones.

The songs, the great bulk of which are taken from his new album Arrows At the Sun, are reserved and considered, the lyrics being lingered over laments or simple narratives of everyday love and it’s many troubles. Craft too, is a restrained almost aloof performer, happy to just pace and strum back and forth as if on a short lead attached to his microphone in between delivering doses of his quiet, yearning-filled voice.

The three song encore would probably do much to spark Sidewinder reformation rumour-mongering, with Pip Branson joining on stage to contribute on violin, which in addition to Shane Melder, who had spent the night on drums, meant that 3/4 of the former Canberra quartet were on-stage together for the first time in more than a decade. So as the last notes of the rather sweet adoring ode of ‘You Are the Music’ nicely ended the set, apparently Rhianna, and not us, ‘are the music’ deemed suitable to play at such a juncture, and the previously easily distracted and mostly chatting crowd burst energetically into life and bad-dancing. Yep, welcome to live music in Sydney 2010.