Jen Cloher at the Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK

16-2-1918.

We went to see Jen Cloher at the Deaf Institute in Manchester on Valentine’s day 2018.  She was in better form than ever.  I had forgotten what a charismatic stage presence she has.  Playing with her increasingly celebrated wife Courtney Barnett on lead guitar, and Bones Sloane and Jen Sholakis on bass and drums, she still completely owned the stage, not a trick many could manage in such company.  Cloher’s new self-titled album is also her best yet. It is almost disturbingly candid at times, whilst her song “Strong Woman” is a good contender for feminist anthem status as well as being almost a mini-autobiography.  We have had the CD since it came out, but to see the songs live is so much more powerful than even the best record and for once the sound engineer did full justice to the vocals.  Anyone going to see her on the rest of the tour (or in March in Australia) is in for a treat.  Another audience member, called Simon Cunliffe, has since posted the entire Manchester set onto YouTube  and I am so glad he didn’t edit out a slight glitch, followed by banter between her and Courtney when Jen accidentally strapped on one of Bones’ basses, instead of her own Fender Jag (they were the same colour). Look at 23 mins 50 secs.

 

It is also worth noting the support act, Anika Ostendorf, who performs as “Hachiku“.  I hadn’t come across her before, but am I glad we got there early enough to catch her act. She was a revelation with a lovely, gentle voice, overlying great musicianship.  In particular, she is a genuine genius with loopers, building up multi-tracked vocals there and then on stage.  At one point she played a cover of the Cranberries’ song ‘Dreams’, and was quite literally all of them, despite playing with no backing band.  I have been playing her E.P. (bought at the gig) pretty much constantly ever since, and look forward to hearing more from her.

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Photocredit: Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher at the Deaf Institute. Copyright: Birgitta Hoffmann.