Review: For Honeyman Street

Walking into the Southbank Piazza for a 4pm show made me realise quite how much I’m missing the spiegeltents that have been a regular feature of recent Brisbane festivals. This isn’t a complaint; more a wish list for the post-covid return to events we have known and loved. For now, I’m just so pleased that Brisbane is able to host a festival in 2021—and have enjoyed seeing how the Southbank Piazza works for different live performances. The space worked well for this show—ensuring that For Honeyman Street felt suitably intimate in a covid-safe way. The bigger space also enabled Sean Sennett and band to be joined by a sextet of singers, for a one-hour set of numbers old and new.

The band walked on stage, the lights dimmed, and a glamourous vision in gold took to the stage and opened a book. With lines such as ’ I wrote you a song because I was high on love,’ the scene was set for love themes, a sextet of singers, great writing and a solid band; a ‘Sunday sesh’ with heart. Our reader left the stage, and the band opened with All Tied Up, sung by ‘Coorparoo Country Queen’ (to quote Sennett) Megan Cooper, and including an excellent guitar solo by Jason Millhouse. Sadly this was one of the early numbers where the sound balance wasn’t doing anyone any favours, and I wasn’t alone in struggling to hear the words. Which is a great pity for a show where the words—all carefully crafted by Sennett (and co-writers)—are so very important. Fortunately by the time Charlotte Emily was welcomed to the stage for My Restless Heart, the worst of the initial sound problems seemed to have been addressed. At least for where I was sitting.

Having six female vocalists to call upon meant that Sennett was able to craft a set that touched on a different aspects of love, and embraced a variety of musical styles. From country to rock, from Bowie influences through to a Beatles vibe, and from funkier pieces through to soft rock. Not at all bad for just one hour.

Each of the female singers had the opportunity to shine. My favourite of Rachael Dixon’s numbers was Meet you at the Lost and Found (with crisp work on the keys by the excellent Peta Leigh Wilson) Roz Pappalardo brought great heart, and powerhouse vocals, to what was introduced as ‘the saddest Christmas song ever.’ And fortunately Cooper had the opportunity to return to centre stage with the up-tempo Oscar & Lucinda, where the improved sound balance ensured we could enjoy the rocking country voice and hear the words.

For Honeyman Street had a great range of vocalists who were equally at home in harmonising and providing backing vocals as well as taking centre stage. Of course it is unfair to pick favourites, but I really enjoyed Charlotte Emily’s lead vocals and harmonies. The poignant Where is she now? was particularly special thanks to the harmonies of sisters Charlotte Emily and Gabriella Grace—and was, of course, greatly enhanced by Sennett’s introductory fortune-teller anecdote…

Dana Gehrman (‘the girl from number three’) absolutely rocked the house. I loved each of the songs Gehrman performed, with a definite highlight being My Love is a Kite. Having the live music accompanying Michael Gracey’s quirky and amusing My Love is a Kite film was really special. A gorgeous, funky piece, enhanced with Gehrman’s lead vocals (and enthusiastic work on the maraca) and Emily’s soaring high notes.

Sennett is a successful songwriter, and also proved to be an entertaining live performer with a really solid band. Right Time, Right Place, Wrong Girl was an enjoyable rock-n-roll number (led by Sennett, with backing vocals by Cooper and Gehrman), which was greatly enhanced with hearing the tale of the epic best burger drive, and of Dave’s failed romance. As with all good performers, Sennett also knows what his audience wants to hear. We were rewarded with a set that included the fabulous 1973 Monument City Lights, where the band was joined by Dixon with backing vocals from Emily, Cooper, and Pappalardo.

Picture: Sean Sennett and Rachael Dixon (Credit: Creative Futures Photography) — **Picture**: Sean Sennett and Rachael Dixon (Credit: Creative Futures Photography)

As a relative newcomer to Brisbane, I really enjoy those ‘a-ha’ moments when I discover a little more of the history of my home city. Such as realising that the very expert radio commentator, who is happy to chat with ABC Radio’s Kelly Higgins-Devine, not only knows a lot about Australian music but is also a talented songwriter who is more than happy to pick up a guitar and don his pale blue DJ (dinner jacket on this occasion, not person who runs the nightclub turntables).

For Honeyman Street was an enjoyable ‘Sunday Sesh.’ I found myself musing as to whether bar takings have been up at the 2021 ‘Brisfest,’ as patrons valiantly strive to keep a filled glass in front of them in order to be able to remove masks at festival events. The For Honeyman Street audience certainly left swaying to the tunes, and buying the ‘merch.’

Catherine Lawrence

Audience Information: All ages. Limited smoke haze. For Honeyman Street had one performance during the 2021 Brisbane Festival (Southbank Piazza, 4pm, 12 September). Tickets were $25-35 each.

The reviewer attended the Sunday 12th September 2021 4pm performance. Picture Credit: Creative Futures Photography.

A version of this review first appeared at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane.

Geoff Lawrence