The Jezabels at the Button Factory, Dublin, 2nd March 2014

Kate Bush!

There is something about Hayley Mary, lead singer of Aussie rockers The Jezabels, that just screams the name of the First Lady of Welling. Mary’s movements on stage echo those of Bush, though they are neither as eccentric nor balletic as Bush’s were circa Wuthering Heights.

Both share an incredible higher register too; one that works as well when hushed as when it’s belted out. It’s truly Mary’s vocals that stand out in the band’s Button Factory show on Sunday night. She somehow manages to reproduce the vocal dexterity seen on the albums in the live setting.

Her vocals are unerring for the entire length of the show. Every high point, every low, every subtle nod, every minor inflection; they all hit perfectly.  It’s particularly noticeable on the band songs; with Time to Dance, the fifth song in, and The End, towards the latter part of the show, both requiring fantastic range. Mary manages both comfortably enough that she can throw in a few dance moves to the mix. It’s the work of such vocal virtuosity that it’s almost difficult to believe.

The problem for The Jezabels on the night is that, apart from Mary, there is nothing particularly interesting to focus on. Neither Sam Lockwood on guitar nor Heather Shannon on keyboards do much more than merely play through their set.

As a result, there is never much energy in the room. There is some polite nodding and clapping from the crowd, but there is a moment where they let loose. Even when Mary say “I’ve been dancing enough, I wanna see you guys dancing,” just before Look of Love, nothing more than a few polite shuffles are elicited from the venue, only just over half filled for the show.

The Jezabels have a two album catalogue of good, indie-rock songs. The problem tonight is that they seem content to just breeze through them. There is no additional life injected, nor any different angle explored. Every song in the 70 minute set merely seems like an exercise in recreating the sound created on the albums verbatim.

There’s never any punch, life or excitement brought to the performance. On Sunday, there is really nothing to The Jezabels live that can’t be found on their albums. Perhaps, though, it’s the closest you’re going to get to seeing Kate Bush live

Photos: Kieran Frost

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