A packed crowd gathered at Melbourne's The Gasometer on a mild January evening (18 January) as Cash Savage laid their heart bare for the audience in a different way than usual.
Normally where Cash has a seven-piece band behind her, on this occasion it was just Cash and a guitar.2023 saw Cash Savage along with their band The Last Drinks release the well received album 'So This Is Love'; on it is some of Cash's most vulnerable songwriting. The record chronicles mental health struggles in the wake of a relationship breakdown in lockdown then a post-lockdown world.
In an act of the vulnerability that is expressed on this album, Cash graced the intimate setting of The Gasometer with two solo shows. This is out of character for Cash, who to their own admission finds comfort in their seven-piece band. A band that has a monstrous stage presence and has built a reputation for being one of the tightest bands around, Cash's towering presence amplified by those behind her.
Image © Mark Ireland
Unlike many bandleader's solo shows, for Cash they are not an extension of what they do, rather it is something seemingly foreign. The Last Drinks have been playing shows for over a decade; these are Cash's first solo shows.
With this in mind, it's a slightly nervous Cash onstage but the confidence that oozes with The Last Drinks soon finds its way into the set. She begins with the first song written for/ and 'So This Is Love' closer, 'Shake From The Heart'. It is immediately clear the audience is in for a treat tonight.
The song, both the recorded version and when played with the band seems triumphant. When it's just Cash and her guitar, as the song was written, what is usually an uplifting song with a tinge of sadness is now overloaded with sorrow.
It's remarkable how different parts of the songs standout when stripped back in this way. However, for others the grit remains despite being played in such a simple form.
This is true of 'Good Citizens', which receives one of the only sing-along moments of the night. Spare for a few drunken yells from the crowd, you could hear a pin drop for the entire set as Cash had the crowd in the palm of her hand for over an hour.
Swapping from the electric guitar that she started the set with to an acoustic guitar, Cash dips into the archives for the first song written with The Last Drinks from 2010 album 'Wolf', 'She's Gonna Love Me'.
Cash also shared a number of stories between songs; it was a treat for the many ardent fans in the room. It wasn't long before Cash remarked that she doesn't really like solo shows as a performer or punter, and invited her first guest onstage for the night – Uncle Kutcha Edwards.
Image © Mark Ireland
Uncle Kutcha and Cash first connected through the dearly missed Uncle Jack Charles. Uncle Kutcha made mention of the commanding way in which the audience holds onto every word Cash sings and the atmosphere that she's able to build even before she gets onstage. Something which visibly moved Cash.
They did a duet of a song taken from 2018's 'Good Citizens', 'Better Than That' – a song written about the hurt felt in the lead up to the Marriage Equality vote. The emotion is felt in this song by both of them as each of their communities have been defined by a vote in recent times in a way that brings a lot of hurt, division and confusion.
They sung two songs together and for their second song Uncle Kutcha turns his attention to deaths in custody and police brutality with 'Keep On Dancing' – a song of resilience in the face of tragedy.
Uncle Kutcha leaves the stage and Cash plays a few more songs on her own. In the spirit of vulnerability, one of these songs is an outtake from 'So This Is Love' that she describes as the "saddest song I've ever written", which she then jokes about therapy; and it's in this way that Cash wades through some pretty heavy stuff with her songwriting, using humour to soften the emotional blow.
Cash then invites up former Last Drinks member Brett Marshall on banjo and to sing a couple of songs. As old mates the friendship they share is obvious. The final song they play together, 'Something Better', is taken from 2013's 'The Hypnotiser'.
Image © Mark Ireland
Cash shares an anecdote about the band's change of sound over the years after starting out as a country act. It's a ride that many have gotten on at different points, but looking around the room, it's clear all are grateful to be on this ride.
'Everyday Is The Same' sounds suited to this intimate setting; what is usually one of the most triumphant moments in The Last Drinks' live sets, it sounded vastly different yet was still very well received by the crowd.
Concluding with '$600 Short On The Rent', Cash admits to the crowd this was the hardest song to write as she was at her most honest expressing emotion she previously hadn't been able to.
With just the guitar, and with this in mind, the audience is able to take on this emotion. It's this transference and relatability of emotion that draws so many to the music of Cash Savage and The Last Drinks.
More photos from the show.
