Joanna Newsom

Sydney Opera House Review by Lucy Howard

 
 

I first came across harpist/singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom when she appeared on the Jools Holland show in the UK, a long-running and popular music programme that showcases both mainstream and not-so-mainstream artists and brings them all together. Her music has since appeared on numerous adverts and trailers. Her unique brand of folksy, indie, dramatic, breathy music is hard to categorise, and hard to explain to anyone who isn’t familiar with it. It’s a vegemite effect: people either love her or hate her.
 
Newsom performed at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SS0) at the end of the Sydney Festival in January. If her music is hard to categorise, and is anything from traditional harp music, with its Irish ballads and simple tunes, Newsom herself fits the traditional notions of a harpist- all long flowing hair and long dresses. And it was a fitting setting for her talents, as the iconic opera house is a unique attraction in itself.

During the first half, Newsom played songs from her new album Ys, long compositions including ‘Emily’ and ‘Only Skin’,  all including both mellow and boisterous passages, which gave the orchestra a chance for some drama of its own. However, the sound of the harp is delicate and Newsom’s voice, though wide-ranging and varied, is also delicate, and both were often drowned out by all the instruments accompanying them. While there’s no denying the talents of the SSO, it felt as though the orchestra was somewhat superfluous. The finales were often an anti-climax: sometimes it wasn’t clear when a song had ended, and the audience paused uncertainly before clapping.		  

The second half, in which Newsom played a mix of old classics and new songs, including the popular ‘Book of Right-On’ from her first album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, worked much better, with the orchestra absent and the music given the space it deserved. It was just Newsom, her harp and a couple of accompaniments by Neal Morgan on percussion and vocals and Ryan Francesconi on tambura and banjo. Towards the end, it was just her and her harp.
 
Newsom was more than at home in her grand surroundings, not just with her music, but with her personality as well. She kept the audience entertained between songs.  After Morgan and Francesconi left the stage, she said ‘Who were those guys anyway?’. 
 
No wonder people love her. The seats were full of a patriotic Australia Day audience, who did some entertaining of their own in return. ‘Happy Australia Day!’, one of them shouted out. ‘Thank you!’, she replied graciously. ‘When are you coming to Melbourne?’, cried another, to which she gave the diplomatic response that she hoped it would be soon and that she would be back whenever she could, as she loved Australia. It was the right answer, and the audience gave her a heartfelt cheer.
 
Joanna Newsom’s music may be hard to categorise, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t tick any boxes, as it still seems to hit all the right notes, and stays with you long after hearing it. I hope she’ll be back soon too.