If any artist was born to play a show at the Forum, it would be Angie McMahon.
Hundreds upon hundred of iconic artists have graced its stage over the years, but something about Angie's performance felt magical. In my eyes, it was almost as if her music was created to be performed at this venue specifically. Her aesthetic combined with the sound of her latest album ‘Light, Dark, Light Again’, felt truly at home amongst the Forum’s stars.
The Melbourne-based artist played three sold-out shows at one of the most iconic venues in Melbourne, as a part of her Making It Through World Tour. Fresh off the back of a run of shows across America earlier this year, I had high anticipation for her Melbourne show.
Opening the show was Annie-Rose Maloney, who despite only having two tracks released, ‘Lost in Coburg’ and ‘Hold Me’, performed an entire 30-minute set alongside her truly incredible band. The singer joked about how they had burned their own demos onto CD’s, some professionally produced tracks and some recorded on their iPhones, for punters to purchase at the shows. I don’t think you can get any more rock n roll than that!
Her final song ‘Rosie and the Wheel’ filled the Forum with an enhancing harmonica solo, and, I'm a sucker for a solid harmonica solo.
Angie and her band took the stage, and as soon as she struck the first chords of her track ‘Fireball Whisky’ a collective “aww” echoed across the audience. From this moment we knew we were in for a night of heartfelt emotion and reflection on shared human experiences, through the tear-jerking lyrics of McMahon.
The Forum’s stars twinkled twice as brightly as if its interior was made especially for this show, blending in seamlessly with her stage setting of a sunset backdrop, amongst the carefully crafted statues and architecture of the Forum stage.
McMahon performed her Triple J Like A Version of the track ‘Reckless’ by band Australian Crawl, a highlight of the night for myself. When she performed the track for Like A Version, she rewrote the lyrics, to touch on current issues such as the Climate Crisis and the hurt she feels for the people of Palestine. Performed live, her cover held so much power in its lyrics, the arrangement and its reception, with cheers of “Free Palestine” echoing throughout the crowd.
You could feel the crowd buzzing with excitement as the band started riffing the first few notes of her song ‘Letting Go’. The song’s upbeat tempo and lyrics on the importance of making mistakes in life were truly healing. Getting to screaming about how it’s okay to make mistakes, is a moment I truly cherish, amongst a crowd of people who all likely share the same sentiment.
Annie once again took the stage to join Angie in a cover of ‘Blowing in the Wind’ by Bob Dylan. This beautiful duet highlighted the stage presence of the two singers, placed into a trance by the fullness and soul of the pair’s vocals.
Her final song of the night ‘Pasta’ filled the Forum front to back with her angelic vocals, combining with the crowd to form a choir of thousands. Angie and her band gathered at the front of the stage one last time, to take in the wonderous achievement of three sold-out nights at the Forum, receiving flowers from the crowd as they took one final bow.
I can only describe this show as emotionally healing, beautiful and transcendent. It’s a gig I will remember for years to come. Her tour continues across the globe, embarking on the next leg of her tour overseas in Europe this coming August.
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