Recording does more than reasonable justice to her versatile voice, but Martha Wainwright is an artist in her element on a stage. From the moment she began the unaccompanied I Wish I Was, the audience began to marvel at her talents. As a gifted songwriter, she showcased a range of songs from her two albums, although much of the material came from this year's I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too. We saw the passionate anger of Ball and Chain, the heartfelt and addictively rhythmic Bleeding All Over You, Comin' Up and its melancholy energy and the swaggering, accusatory You Cheated Me. The song that really impressed me was Hearts Club, moving yet with an edge of despair.
As a singer, she possesses an incredible energy, passion and skill. Her cover of Leonard Cohen's The Traitor showed off the range and depth she displays vocally. A later version of Stormy Weather (credited to her brother Rufus but sung by many others) was a soulful, deep interpretation with lashings of intensity. Also, the cover of See Emily Play from the most recent album is another song which received the unique Martha treatment.
The set list also featured Jesus and Mary, Jimi (a sleeper on the album but worth more attention), The George Song, So Many Friends, GPT, Tower Song and an older track from her 1999 EP. The highlight came from crowd favourites Factory and Bloody Mother F*ing Arsehole, both of which were well received. The only glaring omission was a personal favourite, When the Day is Short, but the rest of the set was satisfyingly substantial. After seeing the material performed live, her most recent album is even more appealing.
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