Polish Combatants Hall 2013

On Thursday, folk singer Basia Bulat finally debuted her third album Tall Tall Shadows at the 1st of a 3 night residency at this old-fashioned hall. A few years back, this was the first venue I attended after a long hiatus from live music (and Basia was one of the first new artists I discovered.) Inside, they had set up a mixture of cabaret-style and row seats. But there were insufficient chairs already set up so new arrivals simply grabbed another one from the pile. The resulting willy-nilly layout probably broke all fire codes: too close together, no clear exit aisle, etc.

Ironically, the opener Simone Schmidt was also at that "first" concert but with her old band One Hundred Dollars. Tonight, armed with her guitar, she played songs from her solo effort Fiver plus a tune or two from her new outfit The Highest Order. With good acoustics and a respectful, attentive crowd, her lyrics came through clearly. Not for the optimist, they were uniformingly depressing. From the grimy working-class Rage of Plastics to the sad Gone Alone, this was folk-country at its most down. She got a laugh with her last song, a murder ballad, when she prefaced it by saying that it was her job to bring everybody down so they can be lift up by Basia's voice.

She was right. Bulat's light, alto voice with its quaver lifted everyone's spirit. Paradoxical, since her new songs were also equally dark. Written after the loss of a close friend, most overtly referenced in Paris Or Asterdam ("Every time I feel myself unravelling, I can tell myself that you've been travelling, all this time"), each song dealt with dissolution and pain (It Can't Be You; Five, Four). I have heard most of these songs over the last year, but it was wonderful to finally hear them with a full band including Bobby Bulat on drums and Ben Whiteley (New Country Rehab) on bass.

Bulat has also evolved as a musician. Although she did play multiple folk instruments: piano, charango, strummed harp, hammered dulcimer, she has also added effects pedals for her guitar and sometimes vocals (Never Let Me Go) and even synth (Wires, Promise Not To Think About Love). Bulat even sang and bopped around sans instrument like a mainstream pop idol on a few numbers. She winkingly begged the audience's forgiveness for "going electric". Covering every song from the new release and a handful of old favourites, Bulat was elated at the well-deserved 2 standing ovations.