Sarah Blasko at The Abbotsford Convent

Once Whitley left the stage, Australian ARIA-award winning singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko emerged with her band. Her unique, husky voice rang through the hall and although the crowd was politely quiet now, unfortunately they still weren’t particularly receptive. As many of them were there as part of a Nova radio competition, I think a lot of them weren’t very familiar with her work. After her second song, Bird On A Wire, driven by a classic swing rhythm section with violins, an electric double bass and a keyboard filling the sound out, she remarked in her soft speaking voice that the crowd were “very quiet tonight”.

Whitley – supporting Sarah Blasko

Amongst the scattering of austere, old buildings at The Abbotsford Convent, a tangle of fairy lights hang from one of the trees. The lights draw people towards them. Soon, a large group of people are milling around beneath the tree, some smoking and some waiting in line at the makeshift bar, a table behind which servers pick drinks out of great big ice buckets. No one wants to venture inside the church-like building nearby. We are all content to remain outdoors on one of the first balmy spring evenings Melbourne has seen all year. My bare arms haven’t felt twilight air for a long time.