Having not seen the past two years of the show, it’s hard to make comparisons on whether or not this year’s line–up of women has been the best yet. All I know is that I simply loved it. Headed by Deborah Conway, and along with Jade MacRae, Anne McCue, Sally Seltmann and newcomer Abbe May, Broad was an amazing experience.
The show began with all 5 women entering the stage and performing a song in unison. We were then privy to an intimate Q&A session, run by Deb and aimed at the other women. No need to ease themselves (or the audience) into it, cutting straight to the chase, Deb asked questions like “What turns you on?” and “What gets you high?”.
A quick check of my ticket confirmed that yes, I was in the right show. And soon after a bit of banter between the women, they were each given a chance to introduce their song (as written or co-written by them) and perform for us one by one, as the other ladies chipped in with soothing backing vocals and instrumental melodies.
The Q&A between songs became more focused on songwriting, allowing the audience and songwriters alike to enter the minds of some of the best.
If I had to pick a favourite, I’d be extremely hard-pressed. The sheer talent on stage was presented in many forms. Their voices were amazing. The fact that they are all songwriters in their own right, earns them instant respect. Sally Seltmann and Jade MacRae shared the keyboard, whilst Jade also showed her talents with the violin. Abbe May was rockin’ on the guitar (and I loved how she played by exclusively stroking the guitar neck through some songs). Deborah Conway definitely displayed her extensive vocal range and guitar talents.
But it was perhaps the persona and amazing talents displayed by Anne McCue that won me over in the end. In our Interview with Deborah Conway, she explained that Anne “writes songs like Tom Petty and plays guitar like Jimi Hendrix”. And apparently, she was humbled by playing at such a smaller venue (a running joke through the show about Bob Dylan begging to be her support act on tour, and her being used to playing at big stadiums in Nashville).
Not only did Anne make me laugh every time she spoke, but every time she sung my ears demanded more. I’ve never been a country music fan, but I can now say, that if that was country music, count me in. And the way she commanded the electric guitar and lap-slide guitar was inspirational!
Just before the intermission, when Jade was performing “Gonna take some time” (co-written by herself and Mahalia Barnes, later performed as a duet between Mahalia and Father Jimmy), mid way through the song a drum base kicked in from seemingly nowhere. A second later the curtain behind the ladies was lifted to reveal a band behind, composed of another guitar/keyboard player, a drummer and a bassist. The sound really blew me away. I thought to myself ‘Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better!”.
The whole second half of the show then included the backing band and the women really raised to another level. Re-entering the stage area after massive applause for an encore, the ladies performed “Gotta serve somebody” in tribute to Bob Dylan and it was magnificent. Abbe voice really came out in this song and the other shone just as equally. An acapella performance rounded off the night, to another giant applause.
For GenerationQ's Interview with Deborah Conway, click here
For more information on the show, including it's next stops, click here
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