Playing tonight at the famous Hare & Hounds, we have the multi-award-winning, Australian, Fanny Lumsden. A five-time CMAA winner, Australian Best Country Album 2021, AMP shortlisted for album of the year 2020, supporting her latest album ‘Hey Dawn’. Taking to the stage, along with her band who come in dressed in red overalls looking like they were ready to change your oil, I kid you not. This includes her brother on vocals and hubby on bass. Her music is based in country but with a hefty slab of folk simplicity to the lyrics, a strange mix but it works, she makes it work. She is one infectious lady. A ball of energy who suddenly takes off and jumps on the bar, no jokes, singing and orchestrating the people in the room and even got us to actually sit down on the floor while she sat on the edge of the stage singing.

She really has got an excellent voice, but she’s not into perfection live, she’s into FUN. Always telling little stories and joking. Like informing the room she had played Glastonbury, but just as a warm-up for tonight. At one point the entire band came out into the crowd with instruments and did a number. Her brother in a kilt, teaching us how to do special dance moves on cue, and everyone going along with it. It was that sort of night, and everyone had a smile on their faces all night long and I would guess on the way home too. Fanny didn’t ram her own songs down our throats, good as they are, and even, as she said, just to remind the crowd where they are from, did a medley in a honky-tonk manner of Men At Work, Kylie, Olivia Newton John and believe it or not AC/DC and it worked. All I can say is hurry up back, Fanny.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe