Wollongong-based singer-songwriter Harrison Storm should thank his parents for giving him such a brilliant name.
But Harrison has only himself to thank for his gifts as a performer and songwriter, all of which were on full display for the launch of his new EP ‘Change It All’ at Brisbane’s The Milk Factory (14 December).
Opening for Harrison was the O’ Little Sister, the moniker for Brisbane singer-songwriter Lucinda Johnson.
Alone on stage, Lucinda’s finger-picked acoustic guitar and husky coo calls in a crowd. The silence between a song’s end and the crowds’ applause was notable, showing how long the audience takes to break from Lucinda’s spell.
A party in the venue’s main bar proved to be noisy, but it was reduced to a hum when Harrison Storm took the stage.
The peace could’ve been for a few reasons: the party left; they stopped to listen; or the crowd was too enthralled by the performer.
Harrison has a remarkable voice, changing from a calm quiver to a full roar, and sending shivers with his angelic high notes like at the end of the EP’s title track. His voice is a magnificent instrument filled with emotion.
Filling out the sound were Harrison’s spidery finger-picked acoustic and the textured electric of sideman Justin Lewis.
Harrison’s songs were perfect, but the addition of Justin’s atmospheric swirls and swelling notes gave the songs a big push to something bigger.
The combination of the two guitars and Harrison’s voice across what the singer called his “sad little songs” evoked a lot of imagery – I kept picturing a scene of the two playing together on a beachside on a cloudy, winter day.
Even a work-in-progress song the two played showed a lot of promise for the stage it’s in.
Like O’ Little Sister, the audience was attentive throughout Harrison’s gorgeous set barely batting an eyelid. It goes to show the kind of attention that just a voice, a guitar and a perfect song can achieve.
