The Mitchell Twins – Kumeu Live: June 17, 2023

The Mitchell Twins made their headlining debut at Kumeu Live to celebrate the release of their debut EP, Find A River, just released on Friday.

Originally from Gore, The Mitchell Twins are Maegan and Nicola, younger sisters of Jenny Mitchell. The EP was co-written and produced by Tami Neilson and so this show and the EP marks the beginning of what could turn out to be another successful singing set of twins.

The other is, of course, The Topp Twins, whose presence was heavily felt tonight in this tiny…let’s say intimate…venue 25 minutes out of central Auckland.

Rodney Fisher

This was my first show at Kumeu Live but there were plenty of familiar faces on hand including opening act Rodney Fisher who we caught last month at The Wine Cellar. The Goodshirt front man is working on a new project, collaborating with musical production duo, The Response. The album, Art School Dropout, is due later this year and we got a taste with a new song, Something/Nothing opening the set along with a tune titled Keeping Up Appearances, that got some help from Terrible Sons.

The feeling I’m getting is that this new project is very important to Rodney but he hasn’t forgotten his past.

“Let’s play something you might know”, he suggests and we hear Fiji Baby along with a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven for good measure.

The Mitchell Twins

The Mitchell Twins are clearly excited to be finally headlining their own show. So excited, that, when it’s time for their set, there is only one of them (Nicola) in front of us. It turns out sister Maegan is upstairs in the “Green Room” retrieving Nicola’s capo, and so the show begins.

“I can hear her coming downstairs” says Nicola and finally we have both twins ready to play and sing for us.

Although Nicola now lives in Wellington, while Maegan still lives with Mum (who is in the house) in Gore, their sense of place, of home is very important to them and they begin the set with a Mihi in tribute to the ‘place where we belong’.

There is always something special that happens with siblings sing together and from hearing Nicola and Maegan, it’s even more special when those siblings are twins.

They blend beautifully and seemingly effortlessly as they sing Margret’s Song the opening song (of four, from the EP, a tune that addresses Dementia.

The two sisters take turns singing lead and talking to the audience while Nicola plays guitar.

Along with their own songs, the two have exquisite taste in covers, turning in excellent versions of Can’t Let Go (Alison Kraus & Robert Plant), This Town (Kacey Musgraves) and How Could I Have Known by fellow South Islanders Into The East.

And one can hear a bit of Tami Neilson seep through on the sassy Reasons and Alone Again.

The Mitchell Twins pay tribute to The Topp Twins with a very touching cover of Milestones, followed by the Topp Twins’ inspired Find A River…a wonderful night of music that almost feels like a passing of a musical torch.

Look for The Mitchell Twins playing their second headlining show in Dunedin tonight.

Marty Duda

 

The Mitchell Twins Setlist:

1. Mihi
2. Margret’s Song
3. If You Really Don’t Want Me
4. Can’t Let Go
5. Dear Insecurity
6. Purea Nei
7. How Could I Have Known
8. Reasons
9. Alone Again
10. Milestones
11. Find A River
12. This Town