Bic Runga
The Prince

On one of the coldest nights of the year, Bic Runga completed the fourth performance of her residency at the intimate Prince. Runga has been in this game long enough now to know how to play to a room of this size and the true professional that she is, she worked it beautifully.

Whilst the freezing weather outside was a deterrent, the great warmth we uncovered inside compensated us in spades. Back home in New Zealand, Runga is a fully fledged superstar. To attest to this, you will find most of her Melbourne gigs to be unofficial NZ ex-pat reunions. Runga's popularity at home has not translated to the degree it should have here in Australia but that is not to say her immense talent has gone unnoticed.

Her superb last album Beautiful Collision was the blueprint for the show and she fleshed out most of the tracks. easily the stand-out from a very solid show, Something Good is the best song she has ever written and its enchanting, vulnerable tone was absorbed by a loving audience.

Her backing band were a sublime force, delicately augmenting Rungas enchanting vocals and playfully feigning with her during some loose between song banter. The most prominent member of her band was an alarmingly tall man who bared an uncanny resemblance to Nick Cave.

By the time Runga got to Sway, her biggest hit here so far, the job was well and truly done. Overall then, it was a wonderful night of music from one of the brightest,warmest and most captivating talents in Australasia.

Andrew Murfett
Beat Magazine (Issue 867)