Lisa Mitchell at Rough Trade West

24-year-old Australian Idol veteran Lisa Mitchell has come a long way in a short time. Since finishing sixth on the talent show in 2006, she’s released two studio albums, played at Glastonbury, and now, she’s playing for free at cult record store Rough Trade West in Notting Hill.

Slow, pretty and ethereal, Mitchell chirps shakily about dark days and trying to be ok. She sings almost entirely with her eyes closed, only opening them occasionally to stare at the wall opposite or check the notes she is playing on her guitar or piano. She never turns her gaze to the intimate audience, appearing to be in her own world for a short while in each song.

The little crowd fills the small store almost to the brim, barely even tilting to the music and only moving to snap a few pictures of the quiet folk pixie singing barely four feet from them. Even when she plays the comparatively bouncy Coin Laundry, the tone of the evening borders on sombre, which is great if you’re into that sort of thing. The closest anybody got to moving to the music was a bit of foot-tapping halfway through closing number Wah Ha. Mitchell’s set was perfectly sung, but her songs were mellow to the point of being downbeat.

That being said, her voice is simply as lovely as it has always been. Her new single, Wah Ha, is bound to find its way to success on the trendy fringes of indie pop and folk. But, with slow, sad-sounding song after slow, sad-sounding song, Lisa Mitchell’s live atmosphere tonight is not for anyone who wants to dance to anything faster than a mild sway.

Aidan Milan
Photos: Simon Crow

For further information about Lisa Mitchell and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Wah Ha here: