Bic Runga is cute. All glammed up in a champagne-coloured silk dress and fishnets for the final stop of her six-night Irish tour, she’s just a pair of pigtails away from being a delicate porcelain doll with a shy smile that goes some way towards masking an awkward stage presence.
Everyone in the Olympia has just fallen in love and the unsettling wait between Tom Baxter’s wonderful guest appearance and when her stilettoes first rap across stage is already fading from memory. There’s no explanation for the delay, just that smile as she opens with the melancholy ‘She Left On A Monday’.
The show is a carefully crafted slow-burner. The drowsy ‘Get Some Sleep’ and sumptuous ‘Beautiful Collision’ are among the opening numbers in a set that rises to the triumphant flourish of ‘Something Good’ and the encores of ‘Drive’ and the ever-brilliant ‘Sway’. In between there’s even room for new material with ‘Say After Me’ giving fans a hint at what’s to come in next year’s album.
The band is (note) perfect, just like their leader. And considering their varied bases (two parts Australian, one part French and one part Irish) they provide excellent support; although the lack of sustained time together is exposed by an occasional absence of chemistry. Each track is reproduced note-perfect from the albums but lacks the on-stage invention that a seasoned band can produce.
Far more disappointing however is the length of the set. At a shade under 55 minutes, the night ends far too suddenly. It’s a pity, because the grumbles that can be heard on the way out aren’t over the price of the ticket. They just wanted to hear more.