Many a time, while watching a band, I’ve been transported by the music, lyrics and magic of a live performance. Never before have I been taken on a journey like the one I went on last night at the www.adelaidecabaret.com with the spectacular show in the Space Theatre, ‘You Me and the Bloody Sea!”
I must admit I was already a fan of Cameron Goodall’s work from his acting roles with State Theatre Company of South Australia, including ‘The Next Room’ and his lead role in ‘Hamlet’, for which he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a play.
In April I went to the launch of this year’s Cabaret Festival and the sneak preview by ‘You Me and the Bloody Sea’ won me over immediately. The band comprises of Cameron Goodall on lead vocals, Quincy Grantmon on guitar and cello, Harley Gray on Double Bass, Emma Luker on Violin and David Heinrich on drums. Each member of the band had their primary station and instrument, yet travelled the stage like a finely tuned kaleidoscope, Cameron transitioning from vocals to piano, to drums, to banjo and guitar, Dave from drums to piano and Quincy from guitar to cello. As Emma sidled a tune on the violin, every morsel of her being informed the instrument to hit its heights and I sat there, feeling the call of long-gone ancestors in the lilting tunes and haunting sounds of her reverie. Quincy looked the part of the seafarer while Harley on the Double Bass, looked least likely to venture onto an oilrig, yet made a solid impression as a gifted musician. There appeared a synergy on the stage last night, an unseen thread linking these fine musicians to the heart and soul of us all.
The show was first and foremost a story, a tale of love, the sea and of the oilrig that paid the way for the exploits of the lives of those ‘she’ encountered. This cabaret-style story-telling provides a substantial layer to live music that I have never encountered before, where the songs literally join the dots in this captivating saga of life at sea. Andy Ellis provides a series of images that appear as a backdrop of moving pictures, adding mood and definition to this moving work of art.
Cameron Goodall as the storyteller is vocally gifted and ever present to his audience. He tells tales we can all relate to, the good, the bad and ugly of the colourful characters that gather together for a common cause. The tattooed man, the boss and the kid, all out to earn good pay, to live the life they want someday.
I was full to the brim at the end of this show that ran just over an hour and ten minutes. I certainly hope this is not the last we see of ‘You Me and the Bloody Sea’. Congratulations! What a fabulous addition to the 2013 Cabaret Festival.
© Patricia Herreen 2013