When was the last time you sat down at a show? At Great Scott this past Wedneday, most of the audience were able to. It wasn’t exactly shocking to see, but it certainly was a change from the venue’s more boisterous shows. How many Great Scott sets keep showgoers pinned to the walls? How many Great Scott shows have listeners feeling the floor move under their feet? Some may equate a bustling crowd to mean a superior set for bands, as they often work off, and ultimately mirror the atmosphere an audience creates before them. This equation may be true for some artists, but when considering Wednesday’s Tiny Ruins performance, it really means nothing at all.
Before them came Kate Potrykus opening as one-half of Dear Creek. Potrykus currently resides in Cape Cod after relocating from Virginia, a move which surely put her in the running for the the bill’s last minute addition of a first act. The bulk of her tunes focused on simple acoustic guitar chords, a foot tambourine and largely, the strength of her voice. With that formula came her preference for minor chords to trigger the melancholy of her subject matter. Though young, Potrykus seems to have experienced a decent amount of romantic tribulation over the years, and expresses it clearly in her music. From an opening, “Would You Let Me” to her final “So It Goes”, the singer petitioned listeners to contemplate her past and in the case of her newer songs, possible present.
Though clearly a vocal talent, Potrykus’ set was not all that memorable. Aside from a ballad that came later in her set, the singer’s musical approach was predictable from one song to the next: choppy guitar, constant lyrical repetition and the sense of urgency produced by their combination. Her songs felt rushed, and more often than not, all too similar.
Tiny Ruins followed Potrykus as the night’s headliners. Hailing from New Zealand, the band has spent the last few months on a whirlwind of a tour, promoting their recent release, Brightly Painted One. Their travels have taken them from their native Auckland to Australia, much of Europe, Canada, and finally, a serpentine path across America. Though not her first time in America, singer Hollie Fullbright marks this tour to be different from the last, largely from the addition of a backing band to what once was an individual project. Formed as a solo project in 2009 by songwriter Hollie Fullbrook, the band now includes bassist Cass Basil and drummer Alexander Freer.
Their addition is welcome, though Fullbrook’s earlier work is not at all dismissible. Little Notes and Some Were Meant For Sea, two EPs released sequentially from 2010 to 2011, are both absolutely gorgeous albums highlighting a fully timeless sound. Fullbrook’s voice is sophisticated and feminine, and plays as much importance to the band’s current work as any instrument. Tiny Ruins holds place with classic folk acts like Leonard Cohen and Phil Ochs while still being completely modern. Their work is effortless, personal and entirely gripping.
As in her interview with us last week, Hollie’s onstage manner was intelligent and friendly. During the latter of the band’s set the singer became more vocal, though still soft-spoken enough that made listening a worthwhile effort. In between songs, the singer gave background to a few songs. Her stories were vivid and well-thought, much like her songwriting. Among others was the story of Jamie Blue, a man whose history Fullbrook and bassist Cass Basil had come across when running from the rain in Scotland. She also gave the account behind “Ballad of the Hanging Parcel,” a song which describes her experience as a 10 year old in England. One night she snuck out of her second-story window to tie a rock covered in paper on a string from the eaves of her parent’s Bristol home. The next morning, her neighbor saw the hanging parcel and asked young Fullbrook about it. She agreed the object was odd, but never divulged a real explanation to neighbor of just how it got there.
This Wednesday at Great Scott, the audience was small. That undoubtedly did not matter to Tiny Ruins, whose set was as pristine as those you’d hear in venues far classier than any Allston spot. From start to finish, the band created a sound to fill the room and make listeners feel something beautifully important. Basil and Freer effortlessly created backing instrumentals to encompass the welcome unpredictability of Fullbrook’s voice. Vocally, the singers knew no boundaries. Her pitch ranged from hearty baritone, to smokey soprano, to a higher range so light and airy, it felt like listening to secrets.
The band later played “Straw Into Gold,” which Fullbrook described to be about “making the best of any situation.” Her flickering trill fell on a the captivated ears while she plucked her acoustic guitar to Basil and Freer’s endlessly sweet melodies. From the whimsical “Me At The Museum You In The Wintergardens” to a wiser “Reasonable Man” Tiny Ruins is an affecting, intimate power. Their set was a glimmer of something truly special, a spellbinding listen, a beauty only witnessed by few.
