Last Friday, February 8th, Neko Case lit up the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas and treated a packed audience to her unique blend of Rock, Soul, and Folk. The lights dimmed the band began warming up the set with a slow boil track called Pitch Or Honey. A large portion of Neko Case’s setlist was dedicated to last year’s release of Hell-On with songs such as Dirty Diamond, Winnie, and Last Lion Of Albion.
What was truly unique about Case’s style was how many styles she shifted between from song to song. Being able to transition between a more orchestral, somber ballad like Oracle Of The Maritimes one moment, to the more Americana Country-tinged song Hex, before settling in on the jazz-laced Look For Me (I’ll Be Around) put Case’s performance truly in a league of her own.
The ensemble backing Case lent strength to her already powerful voice and brought the Concert Hall to life in one of the more sophisticated Rock experiences Austin ever beheld. The crowd was a mixture of cultured patrons of the theatre as well as die-hard Rock fans, all entranced by the incredible range the band had to offer. Ultimately at the end of the night, Neko Case returned to the stage for a five-part encore featuring Hell-On, The Pharoahs, Loretta, That Teenage Feeling, and Ragtime, leading to a standing ovation from the concert Hall.
