Gig Review - Julia Deans

Julia Deans
Ruby Lounge – Aug 13

They say class is permanent. It's a quality Fur Patrol ringleader Julia Deans has always exhibited, and no more has this been so than in a live environment. But after nine years of living in Melbourne, Deans is not the regular on the live scene that she once was, so it's always nice seeing this quite charming pop songsmith in action again.

The Ruby Lounge - as Deans said more than once during this show - is a cozy, comfortable venue quite perfect for showcasing her songwriting and voice. Touring off the back of her debut solo album 'Modern Fables', she is armed with the strongest batch of songs she's written in awhile. After Lisa Crawley has warmed up the crowd with her own solo routine, Deans hits the stage an gets straight down to business, opening with Little Survivor. What is a beautiful opening track on her solo album is transformed into something quite stunning as accompanied by just a stand up bass, this hear-a-pin-drop version has the audience captivated by her quite superb vocals. Playing almost exclusively from her solo album, her voice has rarely sounded better to these ears (that have been trained to her voice almost since day one in the early 1990's). A New Dialogue sounds more impressive every time I hear it. High And Clear and Skin – both tracks with a more musically threatening, prickly undertone – sound ominous. Run sounds great live with just Deans' voice as the centre of attention. Playing mostly as a three piece tonight (incidentally comprising the same make up as Fur Patrol), Deans runs through everything off 'Modern Fables' bar instrumental closing track Icecream. Occasionally the band leave Deans to her own devices. Occasionally Crawley joins her on stage to trade vocal lines.

The encore provides a pleasant surprise as Deans runs through a solo version of Lydia, to the delight of seemingly everyone. The only complaint I have with moments like these is I don't want to hear the off key, drunken shout-a-long of the girls next to me drowning Deans out! Save it for kareoke night ladies. Deans on the contrary is in fine form, peppering her set with candid conversation and observations, much of her banter genuinely funny. She seems relaxed and happy, winning over plenty with her laid back wit. As a rock kid, I've never had much of a taste for acoustic based shows. Tonight was a clear exception, and with Deans hinting at a possible return to NZ, we can all look forward to seeing her wares more often.