Live Review: Ainslie Wills, Bri Clark

Melbourne's Ainslie Wills has long been one of the hidden gems of the Aussie live circuit, so it was unsurprising to see a healthy throng of punters turn out on a disgustingly wet Sydney evening to hear her perform her new release All You Have Is All You Need.

Singer-songwriter Bri Clark kicked off proceedings with her atmospheric, piano-led tunes. Her set was a ray of light to kick off what had been an otherwise gloomy evening, demonstrating great control vocally and her beautifully written melodies. 

Arriving on stage with drummer Arron Light (Husky) and guitarist/collaborator Lawrence Folvig, Ainslie Wills kicked straight into showcasing her newest release, with the driving Running Second and early highlight Society pulling all in attendance into a trance.

Put simply, this was a beautiful set, with the new record faithfully recreated with minimal help from backing tracks, giving things an organic feel. From the grooves of Island to the James Blake vibes on Suzie, there was both atmosphere and class emanating from the musicians on stage, bringing the songs wonderfully to life.

Fan service came with older cuts Drive, Hawaii and personal favourite Constellations (allowing her Radiohead and Jeff Buckley influence to shine), and Wills kept those in attendance engaged and rewarded their support. Seeing the upper room of the Lansdowne transformed into a silent mass for closing cut All You Have Is All You Need, complete with some haunting harmony work, was evidence of Wills’ knack for taking her fans with her, wherever she might go.

With only three shows to showcase this album around the country, one really hopes that Wills will appear on more bills over the course of the year to showcase her wonderful live show. In the six years between LPs, the songwriter has evidently grown exponentially not just as an artist, but as a performer.