今日吃瓜

A staunch feminist, Paris Paloma is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist who released her popular single Labour in 2023, described as a 鈥渞allying cry against the patriarchy鈥�, and her debut album, Cacophony in 2024. This was her first concert in Australia, as part of the Sydney Festival.

Entering the stage dressed in frilly flounces which swirled around her as she moved, she easily engaged an audience that was already familiar with her work.

She is a gay icon and this was a tribal gathering of mostly young women and supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community. Shaved heads, tatts, cute Pollyanna dresses, Doc Martens boots, piercings, and goth make-up were some of the creative expressions of these followers of Paris, who had used her Instagram account to tell her fans what to wear on the night. She has over 6 million listeners on Spotify!

The audience was enticed by opening shades of Didgeridoo overtones that penetrated the rumble of the City Recital Hall’s body-shuddering speakers.聽

The wall of sound emanating from the speakers during the concert overwhelmed the senses, and prohibited any chance of recognising the lyrics. However it soon became apparent that this concert wasn’t聽about understanding lyrics.聽聽

Her pulsating, repetitive vocals in the politically charged song Good Boy 鈥� a reference to praising politicians as one would praise a dog 鈥� stirred the crowd.

In a few of her songs, her soft ethereal vocals emerged, such as in the Knitting Song, which described a personal memory of her relationship with her grandmother.

As the concert progressed, Paris gave us more intimate insights into her life’s journey. One of her songs was prefaced with a confession about her relationship with her body, and how she had struggled to come to terms with living with it and conforming to the prescribed ideal shape for woman. Is this why we were distracted by the wedding cake dress? What was inside the cake? Of course, most of us in the audience could relate to her feelings. As human beings we are either trying to alter the shape we are in, decorating it, with various art works or attires, or 鈥済etting out of it鈥� in different ways.聽

Paris Paloma occasionally played rhythm guitar while tossing her long golden tresses, flouncing across the stage, wrapped in layers of tulle and faux fur; she was a vocal powerhouse, a festive cake.聽

The theatre of her stage performance combined swooning body movements, and graceful, swan-like gestures, reminiscent of a ballet dancer.

Her supporting musicians were a guitarist and drummer. And, one should these days include the sound engineer, who layered backing tracks of vocals, other instruments, and sound effects to create a hypnotic and pulsating experience.聽

The lighting techs聽lit the stage dramatically and the audience members added their own light display of mobile phone torches, waving in time, thus creating a sense of connection, unity and solidarity for the political statements that Paris proclaims throughout her songs.

Melbournian singer-songwriter and producer Emeree (Gabrielle Emery) was the supporting act, and what a powerhouse act she was with her strong vocals, two backing singers, and her high-voltage blend of R&B and jazz elements.

Emeree’s vocals reflect an Amy Winehouse twang, with shrill high notes that are聽聽interspersed with grungy vocals.

She is also a multi-instrumentalist, and tantalised us with a riff on her flute.

It鈥檚 no surprise to find her on the stage at the City Recital Hall as a support act to the much-loved headliner. Dare I say, I even preferred her performance to that of Paris Paloma. Discovered by Triple J Unearthed, Emeree聽 is a talented artist and has a great future in the music industry.