Lisa Mitchell
Forum Theatre
May 28, 2010

The name ‘Lisa Mitchell’ once conjured thoughts of an exceptionally shy 16 year-old, who first appeared on Australian Idol all those years ago. But she’s since shaken that wannabe-pop-idol label and has made a name for herself as a successful independent artist — one who was recently able to draw a sell out crowd at the Forum in Melbourne.

Being quite fond of Mitchell’s debut album, Wonder, but never having seen her perform live, I went in with minimal expectations. Sadly, they weren’t exceeded.

At first — as Mitchell opened with her hit ‘Coin Laundry’ — I was impressed at her ability to capture live the polished studio sound. Unfortunately, that’s about as good as it got.

There is no doubt that Mitchell can sing and pen a catchy tune, she just lacks showmanship. She barely spoke to the audience, and when she did it was difficult to hear what she was saying. Performers need to shine on a stage as large as the Forum’s, but the shy songstress and her band were almost lost in the expanse. She would be much better suited to smaller, more intimate venues.

Front-stage, the atmosphere also suffered as punters were crammed in too tightly; for the first time, I struggled to find a spot at the Forum where I could catch a glimpse at what was going on onstage. Forum staff sparked distracting argument with the crowd, as security forced people back and forth when there was nowhere else to stand with any kind of view.

As a result, the audience was uncomfortable and didn’t engage with the performance. It felt more like a pub gig, where the band just plays in the background — the crowd continued to chat as Mitchell sang.

That said, radio hits such as sing-a-long fave ‘Neapolitan Dreams’ and ‘Clean White Love’ were polished and well-received. For the encore, she performed an acoustic cover of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ – a duet with Andy Bull — which won the biggest response of the night. They also provided a taste of the energy I’d hoped for.

That was just enough to keep my faith — there is a certain charm to Mitchell that makes me unable to dislike her. As a performer who is still finding her feet live, I hope she is just beginning to show us what she is capable of. Give her some time, and a more suitable venue, and great things could happen.