Beat Magazine - Issue 21st June 2008
Nyssa Bradsworth & The Weightless String Quartet - Northcote Social Club
I'd never heard of Nyssa Bradsworth before I saw her at the NSC last Thursday night. It was a typical Melbourne winters night and to be honest, I was wondering why I had travelled half way across the city on public transport to watch someone i knew nothing about. The mood inside the NSC could not have been anymore different than the cold and dreariness outside. Nyssa won me over from the very first note, her band, the Weightless String Quartet, underscoring what has to be one of the most confident performances I've seen in a long while.
The combination of classic quartet and soft folk made for a highly atmospheric set, which had the modest audience transfixed in enjoyment. Everyone was so quiet Nyssa asked happily a couple of times how people were doing. Nyssa kept to her own pace, slow and steady, which is a rare find in this pop driven hit machine music scene. I must admit I was waiting for her to let her hair down and rick out, but I think I'm projecting.
Coming from a guy who grew up on a diet of Alice in Chains and Sonic Youth, it's still nice to go watch musicians who put melody and lyrics first. I'm sick of going to live rock gigs and listening to a bunch of wannabes not play their instruments properly. Far too often bands mistake noise for music. Even the most hardcore Death Metal fan will tell you that grinding a power chord while your mate pounds the double kick pedal doesn't necessarily mean it's music. My point is that it was great to see musicians last Thursday executing their talent and skill in the difficult live forum.
If you're one of those people who are dead inside and like listening to young girls sing about their feelings then maybe you wouldn't like Nyssa. For everyone else, I'm hard pressed to say anything other than it was a delight to spend and evening in her company. I can tell you this much - if you take a punt on Nyssa Bradsworth next time you see her name billed at a venue, you wont be disappointed. - ADAM MCKENZIE
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