Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at Manning Bar, Sydney

KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS
DAN KELLY
Manning Bar
10/12/09

Melbourne singer/songwriter Dan Kelly was his usual affable self as he served up some oldies and some newies. Even though his performance felt a little pedestrian, his often fantastical storytelling was, as always, appealing enough.

Kitty Daisy & Lewis - a brother and two sisters from London aged between 16 and 21 - have been pretty much universally lauded since they released their eponymous debut album over a year ago, so their first ever visit to Sydney was as welcome as it was overdue. Dressed straight out of the fifties and - cute alert - backed by their parents on guitar and double bass, the trio ventured on a joyous romp through rock ‘n’ roll, hillbilly swing, country and blues. Old classics like Johnny Horton’s Mean Son of a Gun and original compositions such as Buggin’ Blues were delivered with oodles of charm and an infectious joie-de-vivre that had the audience singing, dancing, clapping and, most importantly, smiling throughout.

It soon became abundantly clear why Kitty, Daisy & Lewis have turned so many heads. It’s not because of their age or the intriguingly incongruous anachronism of their music, but simply because they are absolutely fantastic at what they do. These guys can play, and not just one instrument either; they spent the entire gig switching duties. Take Kitty for example. As well as frequently performing lead vocals, she played guitar, harmonica, drums, ukelele and trombone. Not bad for a sixteen-year-old. Ice-cool Lewis sang, played guitar, drums, lapsteel, banjo and keys, while Daisy - a little fireball of energy - was on drums, xylophone, accordion, keys and vocals, most notably on the brilliant I Got My Mojo Working.

Their mastery of so many instruments was breathtaking and their hour-long set (which included a cameo from legendary Jamaican trumpeter, Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton) was mesmerising - almost too much to take in at times. It’s not an exaggeration to say it was one of the most amazing gigs this reviewer has ever seen and to attempt to sum it up with mere words seems strangely futile. Superlatives have yet to be invented for how great this was, but the guy in front of me said it succinctly enough in a text message that he sent mid-gig. It simply read: “This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.”

Here is a short clip of the awesomeness:

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis - Kitty, Daisy and Lewis

KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

The music reviewer tends to be a cynical creature. However, every now and again an album comes along that makes them giddy with joy. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis is one such record. A mix of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country and hillbilly swing, it was recorded completely in analogue in a home-studio and sounds like it belongs in 1950’s America, which is all the more remarkable considering it’s a brand new offering from a brother and two sisters from London aged between 15 and 18.

You’re thinking that it really shouldn’t work, aren’t you? Well, somehow it absolutely does. The trio of multi-instrumentalists switch between guitar, harmonica, piano, double-bass, ukulele, trombone and accordion through the ten tracks, which are all over in less than half-an-hour. So what that the music is completely anachronistic, that eight of the songs are cover versions or that the sound levels are a disaster zone (instruments are often super loud or way too quiet)? Kitty, Daisy & Lewis has a heart so massive that these issues are rendered completely redundant.

In a time largely defined by auto-tuned, soulless pap, this nostalgic homage to an era none of us remember is wonderful in its unabated youthful exuberance and joie de vivre. What’s more, the two original tracks here easily match the cover versions. Regardless of whether you are a fan of sounds from yesteryear, if this record fails to excite you then it’s really time you gave up listening to music altogether.