Eleanor Jackson
We saw her perform at the Going Down Swinging Launch on Friday night. She was so breathtakingly good that my friend had to go outside afterwards to get some fresh air. Her poem was about the experience of getting older, the way your expectations stabilise and your relationships with your parents evolve. It was the way she read it – she performs like she’s feeling it, in a very raw and honest way. Apparently she just moved to Brisbane, which is a bit sad. We’re always losing our best minds to Brisbane.
eleanorjjackson.wordpress.com
Oliver Mann
This song is a bit more poppy than his usual fare, I think. Oliver has quite an operatic sound. That’s not surprising, because he’s also an opera singer. He’s in an opera right now, and playing at the NGV Art After Dark series on consecutive Wednesdays. He sings sad songs, madly imaginative songs, with a twinge of an oddbeat sense of humour in there as well. The best lyrics I can think of are from Shoes of Leather: ‘Then in Beijing, the plane was landed, policeman stormed the cabin and knocked me down. They’d found one pound of smack in my suitcase – oh lord. I was taken deep into the jungle of death…’
olivermann.com
Little John
Soulful, literate, Southern-style gospel folk with a twist of Aussie wit/pathos. He also plays some rocking numbers – Elvis style. It’s even better live – he has a great energy – as a friend said once, for a smaller guy, he sure ‘packs a punch’. And what’s not to love when inner-Melburnians pretend to be from the Deep South?
putyourhandsonme.com
Luluc
Mesmerising, unadorned folk music – but unfortunately they’ve moved to the US.
lulucmusic.com
Finnish Whaler 