Review: Sarah McLeod @ the Globe

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Words: Amber Shadlow

Friday June 24

Black ripped jeans and a cut up punk t-shirt set the scene for Sarah McLeod when she graced the stage of the Globe in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley recently.  Given the dress you might expect something heavy to ensue, but she began with a brooding, soulful love-ballad. Veering slightly away from her rock chick days Sarah performed an acoustic set showcasing not only her solo talents, but also Superjesus hits such as I’m stained, and her new band Screaming Bikini.

McLeod interacted with the crowd after every song, dazzling us with an electric sense of humour. She took us through a plethora of emotions both musically and comically. At one point she answered an audience member’s phone when it rang in the middle of the show and had a quick chat to a giggling fan.  Another moment of hilarity came after an announcement that the bar was closing to which Sarah called an impromptu interval. She clearly realises the importance of getting that last drink in. “Can someone please get me a red wine,” she yelled out.

A relaxed impromptu cover of leaving on a jet plane got everyone back into the theme after the interval. Her gravelly voice did not falter throughout the set even after years of busting out rock songs with Superjesus. It swirled around the intimate venue. I decided McLeod is part blues, part soul diva and part rock chick. But, she has an intangible air of fragility which is pretty special.

The venue itself merits a mention. The Globe is beautiful, cosy and, strangely, it’s carpeted. It almost felt like we were sitting in someone’s lounge room having a sing along.  In hindsight it may have been the perfect venue to test out whether it is socially acceptable to wear a bath robe out on the town on a harsh winter’s night. Alas, I relented and donned my Friday night best.

Another unique aspect of the night was McLeod’s accessories. This talented lady is also a jewellery maker and she was showcasing some of her latest designs with pride at one stage of the night. She certainly mixed up the set with some quirky titbits and put the audience at ease.
On the music front McLeod’s solo career has been rising slowly steadily since Superjesus split in 2004. She has released a solo album, but in the past admitted that she easily writes and records albums, but can’t release them when it comes to crunch time.

Collaborating with her new band Screaming Bikini allowed McLeod to release her music without attaching her name to it. They have already released the single “Easy.” It’s a beautiful moody ballad which brought tears to my eyes when she performed it with band member CJ.  However this degree of detachment McLeod had from the band meant their debut record came complete with an in-your-face gluteus maximus sprawling the cover much to her distaste.  Sufficed to say, she urged the audience to buy all the current albums with the ass on display so she can re-release their debut with something a little more demure now she has mellowed into the idea of being the face of the band.

I’m intrigued to see where the Screaming Bikini project goes now that Sarah has taken control. If her enthusiasm for the project continues I think they are going to make a mark on the Australian scene. My fingers are crossed that she gets her way and Screaming Bikini loses the tacky ass cover for something that shows it’s an album filled with beautiful songs.