July 14, 2023

Jenny Mitchell and The Mitchell Twins – Q Theatre Loft: July 13, 2023

Jenny Mitchell, Maegan Mitchell, Nicola Mitchell, tonight’s show is a family affair, a consequence of the melding of cultures: Gaelic, Maori Whapapa, an adoption of Americana, and is a product of the Aotearoa/New Zealand’s deep south, Gore, Aotearoa’s home of the annual Country Music Festival, and the Annual Awards Events (Country Music Honours).

Jenny Mitchell Relief as I walk into The Loft and see a drum kit and amp onstage, my fears of an acoustic (guitars) only show evaporate, as the room fills to almost capacity, faux steam floats from the faux bush scene on stage the room heats up this homage to Forest & Bird

I think I may have overdressed for this, my Joy Division hoodie catches too many eyes in surprise (and the odd compliment) I look like an Aucklander on an Air New Zealand flight to Dunedin, before the turn of the twentieth century.

The Mitchell Twins

The Mitchell Twins Maegan Mitchell and Nicola Mitchell aka The Mitchell Twins start the night in te reo Maori, a mihi, introducing themselves. It’s a gentle and poignant start to the night on the eve of Matariki. Just two voices and Nicolea on acoustic guitar, they (re)start with Margaret, the lead song from their recently released CE/Digital EP Find A River. Like a lot of the Mitchell Sisters’ lyrics and narratives, it has a family link, they may be scattered throughout Aotearoa now, but memories and whanau loom large and lovingly for the three.

As the two sisters sing, share banter and joke with the audience, they draw mainly on songs from their Find A River. But since their branching out as a group is a relatively recent phenomenon, it’s of no surprise that The Mitchell Twins pull material from influencers, choosing a favourite, the American female duo Secret Sisters. He’s Fine from their 2017 album You Don’t Own Me Anymore. It fits perfectly.

The Mitchell Twins There’s another theme that rides alongside family, love found, lost and shrugged off, Reasons a break-up song spiel, it sounds rawer (than recorded version) the battling vocals compliment each other. While the feisty Alone Again is a faux feminist celebration of not needing a man, well, that man anyway, when you have family.

The sisters finish with a song they wrote about/for The Topp Twins. Find A River is a touching storytelling, using water as a metaphor for love and connectedness in times of stress and sadness. The verse in Te Reo Maori is poignant, touching and creates connections between start and finish, like a koru. Twins and Twins, it dovetails so.

Jenny Mitchell

Interval is enough time to grab a drink, and bump into Willa Cameron, from the NZ Music Commission who has supported this show, taxpayers’ money spent well methinks. Bird calls Jenny Mitchell fills the room as Jenny Mitchell, with entourage fill the stage, alongside her sisters, she has drummer Joe Mcleenan (Tami Neilson/Delaney Davidson), bassist Chip Mathews (Anika Moa/Anna Coddington/Ladi 6/The Mitchell Twins) and violinist Jessie (wish people would wait until the introduction is complete before cheering their wives/mothers/friends onstage)

Without further ado, they launch into the title track from Jenny Mitchell’s third album, the Rolling Stone acclaimed Tug of War, featuring fabulous fiddle work by the partially named violinist, somewhat demur on the studio recordings. There is love in the air, as Jenny Mitchell gushes onstage in banter with the audience, she’s in her element, she is in her natural element with family, friends and fellow musicians.

It’s a step back in time as the group performs three songs from her 2018 album Wildfire, her alt/country album (?) also produced by Matt Fell who did the magic on 2022’s Tug of War: Travelling Bones, Ends of the Earth (homage to her Irish Grandparents settling in Aotearoa in the 1950’s and One Day an upbeat song about coffee, lost love or maybe not, and a chance for the bass and drums to break loose a little.

The upbeat and catchy Snakes In The Grass from Tug Of War brings us back to the post-Covid era, a love advice song for her sisters, which features great violin and bass breaks, is followed by The Bush and Birds written for grandfather Bruce and is the theme song for her current tour. The (re)discovery of the Mitchell’s connection to past tangata whenua, is shared in a family waiata song, through their grandparents, the theme of being linked to the land is revisited. There’s a new song (I think) about being a little less lonely, that travels the path of finding love in places right for you, without prejudice or judgement, followed by the lead song from Tug of War, If You Were A Bird, it’s like a golden ticket, you can’t help but smile and find yourself singing along. And temptingly, another opportunity for violin and bass improvs comes our way as Wildfire, the title track from the 2018 album, plays out themes of love and angst in a rhythmic manner that reminds me of Delaney Davidson’s mahi.

Jenny Mitchell

Tonight’s show and her tour ‘The Bush & the Birds Tour’ is donating 10% of the profits to Forest & Bird, and there’s a gentle and hopeful excursion into the challenges of balancing being a farmer and a lover of fauna, topped off by a cover of The Topp Twins Natural State. Almost at the end, finally, finally, Jenny Mitchell rolls out Trouble Finds A Girl, the first single off Tug Of War, a song of intent, co-written with Tami Neilson, about men living in the past, and troubling others by not evolving themselves, the theme is serious, but the music is uplifting and impassioned.

The stage leaving and then coming back is meteoric, as is the choice of Harper Valley PTA to finish on, it’s a fun and inclusive way to complete the night, that showcases all three sisters’ singing skills… but it isn’t the finish of the night, as the three sisters leave the stage and sing to the audience, harmonising in unison, the end of the nights’ journey.

Jenny Mitchell has done much hard mahi, three albums, much international touring, and as a 14-year-old singer-songwriter, she came in third place on New Zealand’s Got Talent in 2013 (the internet never forgets). She has what many other local musicians lack, performance skills, she connects so well with the audience with her in between song banter, in dual roles as a storyteller. She exudes confidence and passion for her mahi, not only have her songwriting skills evolved, but she clearly recognises the importance of creating a show, a night out for her extended-whanau.

Simon Coffey

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski: