Lacinda Fisk is a bit of a go getter. Songs From A Sunburnt Country is her third cabaret show following on from her shows Audley’s Carols and Songs Of Change in which she paid tribute to trailblazing female singers.
Her previous shows were performed at intimate venues; Audley Dance Hall and Claire’s Kitchen. Its’s the case this time too, the venue being the stylish lounge bar 3 Doors Down in Menai.
Lacinda’s concert featured two thirty minute sets. Diners were midway through their meal, a six course tapas menu, when Lacinda first took to the stage. Through her concert she was accompanied by a very fine keyboard player Nerissa Cavaliere. She began the concert by paying her respects to the land and indigenous people past, present and emerging.
All the songs were home-grown. The concert started with a great version of ‘Great Southern Land’ followed by the medley ‘New Sensation’, ‘The Sahn’ and ‘Run To Paradise’, then ‘On A Night Like This’, ‘Heaven Help My Heart’, ‘Buses and Trains’, ‘Steer’ and ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’.
After the final course, a delicious caramel cheese cake desert, Lacinda took to the stage again. Lacinda revealed that she was a big fan of Olivia Newton John and then went on to perform some of her most well known songs; ‘Magic’, ‘If Not For You’, ‘Let Me Be There’ and ‘Xanadu’. Then she changed tact to perform indigenous singer Neil Murray ‘s brilliant song ‘My Island Home’.
Lacinda, in her great banter between songs, mentioned that she was also a big Peter Allen fan so then we got to enjoy some of his legendary songs: ‘I Honestly Love You’ and ‘Tenterfield Saddler’.
She then told an interesting story of how Allen, at the end of every show, would tell audiences, no matter where he was in the world, that he still called Australia home. His producer ‘nudged’ him and said that he should write a song with those sentiments, which inspired the classic song of the same name.
This was going to be Lacinda’s last song however the audience encouraged her to perform an encore. She went on to do cover versions of Australian Crawl’s ‘Land Down Under’, Darryl Brathwaite’s ‘Horses’ and John Farnham’s ‘Your The Voice’.
SONGS FROM A SUNBURNT COUNTRY made for a good dinner cabaret show. 3 Doors Down had just the right ambience and the tapas menu was excellent.
Lacinda Fisk’s concert was filled with good music which she interpreted well. Her voice never faltered and she hit the high notes without a problem.
As well, her love of the performing arts has never faltered since she she was three years when she first started taking dancing lessons and in her teens when she took up singing lessons. She holds down a number of jobs, including working at a gym, a dance studio and a real estate agency. These help her to pay the bills but her goal is to see one of her cabaret shows taken up by one of Sydney’s cabaret festivals and/or for her to win a role in one of the big musicals that come to town. She has the talent and the drive. What she needs is the good fortune.
