Mirah Australian tour 2010. Artwork by Gloz.

Sydney review from Your Gigs:

Mirah – The Red Rattler, October 21, 2010

Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn — better known as simply Mirah — has all the makings of a Pacific North West indie muso. She was schooled at the infamous Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (whose alumni include Bikini Kill/Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hannah, Sub Pop’s Bruce Pavitt and Sleater Kinney’s Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein) and is signed to Calvin Johnson’s rather excellent K Records who have released five of her albums.

Being the first show of her first Australia tour, Mirah was intent on covering material from many of her albums. Opening with an ode to the Buenos Aires (‘The Dogs of BA’) followed by ‘Bones and Skin’, it was immediately clear that Mirah’s vocals are more pleasurable in person than listening to her records. Her vibe is girl-next-door, clean living, cheeky and fun times. And when a plane swooped low over Marrickville warehouse venue Red Rattler, she just smiled, unfazed through the kerfuffle.

‘Gone are the Days’ is a sweet four-chord number with complementing brush drumming to a shuffled beat. It stayed pleasant without venturing into the fey or the awkward. A tribute song to the Hurricane Katrina victims, ‘NOLA’, was backed up by C’mon Miracle‘s ‘Jerusalem’ and a scream-y chorus version of ‘We’re Both So Sorry’, which had everyone sitting up on their milk crates and old couches.

Stylistically, Mirah swayed between confessional folk and coffee-house chic. She forgot lyrics (citing jetlag) and often stopped the song completely. But the punters were so shyly enamoured by her that all was swiftly forgiven. During a brief break in the set, she jovially asked the audience for requests but humorously responded to each of them with excuses (“Needs a string section!”; “Needs a uke!”) until she finally delivered on ‘Person Person’ and ‘Apples in the Trees’. A stripped-down version of the Advisory Committee‘s opener ‘Cold Cold Water’ is graciously received by the overly polite, tittering crowd and when Mirah puts down her guitar and takes charge of the microphone we were rewarded with a powerhouse, sassy version of ‘The Garden’ and tidy cover of David Bowie’s ‘Changes’. Mirah managed to blend the best of the saccharine with DIY and grit and duly rewarded fans who have waited forever to see her in action.

Fiona Laughton
25 Oct 2010

Sydney photos from The AU Review:

Mirah + The Smallgoods + Shiver Like Timber – The Red Rattler (21.10.10)

October 24, 2010 – 8:41pm — Amanda Picman