Live Review: Dyson, Stringer & Cloher, Todd Pickett

As the sun went down over Freo Arts Centre and audience members sat around enjoying wood-fired pizza and drinks, local singer-songwriter Todd Pickett put forth a gentle acoustic performance of originals and covers. Original tracks Rolling River and Ribbon featured his beautiful falsetto, as did an almost unrecognisable cover of Alice Cooper's Only Women Bleed. Pickett strapped on his ukulele for the end of the set, seeing the crowd off with a great performance of Bluebird.
As the sun finally went down and the warm glow of the overhead lights came on, Mia Dyson, Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher, collectively known as Dyson, Stringer & Cloher, walked onstage and sang in those beautiful harmonies that make up the intro to Crazy Horse, one of the new songs the group recorded together for a special EP several months ago. The three musicians swapped back and forth on instruments, with each member taking turns at fronting the band and explaining stories behind their songs and the tour. From Dyson's gospel-inspired blues playing to Stringer's rootsy style and Cloher's rock'n'roll vibe, the three still managed to blend their styles cohesively together on each song, bolstering each other's work with an energy and passion that made the performances all the more exciting. They followed a strong 18-song set with two encores, Cloher closing the show with the heartbreaking Hold My Hand, which recounted her father's attempts at reconnecting with Cloher's Alzheimer's-stricken mother. The genuine emotion and talent of the three musicians made it an exceptional performance and one that won't soon be forgotten by those in attendance.