THE POWER OF THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Let me set the scene – It was Friday
the 29th of November 2013 and I was rushing home from work
to head to the Brunswick venue Howler, to see one of my all time
favourite bands Georgia Fair. This was their album launch for
'Trapped Flames' and I was a little excited about this. Even though
GF weren't on til like ten, I'm a big believer that you need to get
into the groove before seeing a gig. This includes some tasty food, a
few drinks and a chance to relax before you can really let the music
take you over. Friday is a tricky night because traffic sucks and
everyone is off to have some fun.
Anyway, I made it to the venue, grabbed
a quick bite and a drink. I always put in my best effort to make sure
I see the supports. It's a way of discovering new artists, seeing who
will be the next wave of talent and you paid for a ticket to see
multiple bands so, why not see them. However, this night I'm pretty
sure I missed the first support as I got in close to nine. A little
bummed, my friend and I scouted out where GF were hanging and made it
our point to stand next to them. Not to talk to them because that
would be awkward ( Spoke to them once when I was more than merry on
the happy juice and it wasn't pretty), but to just eavesdrop and
create the fantasy that we are friends. I love going to GF gigs as
the two main members Jordan and Ben are dating Lisa Mitchell and
Lester The Fierce, so our little fantasy group is pretty cool.
So we are standing there with our
besties and out comes a woman dressed in black with a few back up
singers and band members. If you go to gigs often, you will notice
that most people use the time before the headline band comes on as a
catch up with your friends and to drink as much as you can. So the
room is pretty noisy at this point, and even I am having a bit of a
chat.
Then something happened that I have
never experienced before. The woman in black casted a spell over the
whole audience, dead silence. I had never seen this before, a bunch
of semi drunk gig goers just stopping in their tracks for a support.
At this stage I had no idea who this mystical bean was but I liked
it. After the 3 or so minutes were up from the first song, I looked
at my friend and said “wow”. I even heard the GF boys say “she's
good!”. The response from the crowd was like insane, maybe the
loudest clap of the night.
The woman in black then introduced
herself as 'MEG MAC'.
Megan Mclnerney (Meg Mac) born 1990 is
one of Australia's hottest up and coming artists. She is on every
'One To Watch' list from Spotify to Rolling Stone. When I first saw
her in 2013 she was only just getting noticed by Triple J, with one
song on Triple J Unearthed 'Know Better'. Two years later and her
presence is crazy. With Singles 'Roll Up Your Sleeves' and 'Never Be'
both getting played on community and commercial radio. Signed to both
Australian and American Labels. Nominated for an Aria for “Best
Female Artist' and 'Breakthrough Artist'. Played at SXSW. Toured with D'Angelo and Clean Bandit
around the US. This all with 1X EP which includes 5 songs and 1X new
single 'Never Be'. We are just waiting for her to dominate the world
when she releases her debut album sometime in 2016.
I don't think her music fits with one
genre and I hate labelling. There is an essence of a Blues style of
writing with the repetition, but a hell of a lot of Soul influence.
However, still feels modern, with it easily being put into the Pop
basket. I think all these elements are what set Meg apart. She is
creating music that she likes and not worried about what to call it
or how it should sound.
Meg is still humble and keeps it real
with her fans. She does her best to answer, like and comment on all
posts. She just needs a name for her fans like 'Maccas', 'Big Macs' or
'Meggins'. Ok I will stop.
I have now seen her three times over
the years and with each performance I have noticed she is just
getting better and better.
On the 12th of December she co-headlined with music mastermind Jarryd James with support KitaAlexander. The show was a night to remember. Never has I seen so much talent in one room! Kita set the tone, Meg claimed her throne and Jarryd brought it home. The cherry on top for me was the incredible Julia Stone making an appearance for her debut with Jarryd called "Regardless".
Normally I would feature a few of my
stand out tracks but Meg Mac doesn't have any because they are all
bangerz. So I'll just add the ones with cool film clips to go with
it.
Roll Up Your Sleeves – This song is
my main jam and a great booster for believing in yourself, doing the
right thing and saying to yourself “everything is going to be
alright”
Never Be – Her latest single and
chart favourite. It has a chorus that will be in your head all day
Know Better
Every Lie
If you are hooked you can buy her EP on
iTunes or from you local record store if you like to hold some gold in your hands
