With the exception of Kylie, Australia is not a country we generally associate with great pop music. However, recently they've been providing us with some brilliant new acts, and several, including The Veronicas and Daniel Merriweather, have done very well in the UK. The latest Antipodean import is Lenka Kripac, a singer-songwriter who could be considered a more poptastic version of Regina Spektor. On Tuesday she played her first ever gig, and she seemed ecstatic at the postive response from the crowd, many of whom were singing along to every song.
The venue was Bush Hall which, although might seem unimpressive from the outside, is easily one of our favourites in the capital transporting you to being in the drawing room of a grand country mansion rather than the shabby Uxbridge Road. Adding to the impressive environment was Lenka's hand-made set, including a beautifully decorated velvet backdrop and colourful outlines of cute woodland animals attached to the instruments. Lenka herself fit right in with her cheery, engaging personality and sweet yet stylish look.
As for the music, we were treated to most of the songs from Lenka's forthcoming album, as well as a cover of The Way I Feel Inside by The Zombies, and even some songs which weren't included on the album. The current single, The Show, is certainly a good choice for her debut, but she proved there are many more great songs to come. Trouble is a Friend, which she opened the gig with, will be her next single, but tracks such as We Will Not Grow Old and Don't Let Me Fall have just as much hit potential. However, it was still The Show which we couldn't help humming all the way home.
It was clear that most of the audience were already huge fans of Lenka, but anyone who had turned up without knowing much would have surely been converted. On the way out, everybody was smiling and chatting and many people stayed behind to meet Lenka after the show. It's safe to say that her first ever UK gig was a big success, and we suspect that she'll be making plans to return as soon as she can.
Jessica Popper
