Live Appearances

Invercargill Acoustic Church Concert,
Tuesday 4 May, 2004

Venue:        First Presbyterian Church, Invercargill

Address:      Tay Street, Invercargill

Dates:          Tuesday, 4 May, 2004

Time:            7:30pm

Cost:             $45

Review by:    Otago Daily Times

Dated:            6 May, 2004

Original article is copyright 2004 to, and can be found at Otago Daily Times

Demure invitation from Runga

The "acoustic church tour" is an idea so appropriate for artists such as Bic Runga that it's surprising that neither Bic (nor her promoters) had embarked on one before.

Bic Runga's stage presence is best described as "inviting" rather than commanding.

Never one to draw too much attention to herself, she's one who hopes the music will do the talking. As such, she appeared to be humbled, and indeed surprised, by the 800-strong audience's admiration.

After nearly two years on the road, recording, touring and doing everything possible to ensure overseas success, she still managed to achieve a communal atmosphere. It was as if she had returned to play to those who had supported her from the start.

Progressing through the set with remarkable efficiency, one wonders whether the naivety is something of a ruse. Her voice was faultless, perfectly aided by Knox Church's wonderful acoustics.

Beginning with a keyboard-led rendition of Listening for the Weather , her characteristically pure, lilting tones reverberated throughout the church. Indeed, her performance was almost too demure - often the songs she covered, in particular Jacques Brel's Ne Me Quite Pas, are given more intense, stark renditions than the careful, almost resigning delivery she used when singing the song.

That's not so much a complaint; rather, Bic Runga is an artist whose work may occasionally probe the darkness, but always finds light in the shadow. That she has managed to write so many songs that have already become part of the New Zealand cultural vocabulary at a relatively early stage of her career says wonders for her talent.

She has probably played these songs (especially earlier numbers such as Drive and Bursting Through ) hundreds of times live, but they are endlessly refreshing.

She may have been preaching to the converted, but she deserved the respect.

Original article is copyright 2004 to, and can be found at Otago Daily Times