Heaven in Brisbane With Billie Marten

On Wednesday night, some of Brisbane was missing. Huddled within the well-roamed walls of the Crowbar(previously Brisbane’s beloved The Zoo), a certain few were drawn into a world where the raw and vulnerable ran wild. It was all because of heavenly indie-folk musician, Billie Marten. A poetic master with a voice sent from angels, this woman has quickly become one of my favourite artists of all time.

All the way from the UK, she kicked off the Australian leg of her tour for her latest album, Dog Eared, with us lucky ones in Brisbane. Joined by the beautiful and intricate Australian folk artist Maple Glider (AKA Tori Zietsch), it was an evening to be gentle, present, and feel everything.

I must admit, I am only a year into my obsession with Billie Marten and her music. Ever since I first heard the lead single ‘Feeling’ from Dog Eared, my heart and mind began to unravel in a way I couldn’t predict. I dove deep into her discography and found an array of songs that tapped at places only the best poets can. They do it with both what is said and unsaid. This, paired with Marten’s soft vocals, means there’s bound to be some kind of emotion pop up and say, “don’t forget about me”.

I was lucky enough to have seen Billie Marten for the very first time just last November as she began touring Dog Eared. It was in the halls of Belfast, and I may or may not have purposefully arranged the trip I was on around the dates she was playing there. So, of course, it’s no surprise I went straight back into her heavenly realm when she ventured to my hometown, Brisbane.

As I entered the Crowbar, it was the haunting vocals of Maple Glider which soaked up the space. She is another artist who uses language and her voice to wring out emotions. That was the first time I witnessed her perform. I hadn’t listened to her much beforehand, so to be blessed by such stunning vocals immediately was a moment I won’t forget. She has a soft and haunting quality to her voice, one that also encompasses a raw power that seized me. The way she sang the melodies felt unexpected and of the moment. It felt like her voice had secret, hidden gems that slowly came to the surface with each song. I remember vividly during ‘Don’t Kiss Me’ she belted the melody using a mix of head voice and chest, producing a guttural, rough quality that arrested me. Another song she played almost reminded me of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by The Animals, as she picked her steel-string guitar with vigour and let her vibrato loose, showing her ability to move between the soft and the powerful.

She was the perfect opener – like Billie in her poetic softness, but different in the way she told stories and utilised her strong vocals to land an emotional blow. I found the moments between songs where she spoke to the audience very honest and refreshing. Her authenticity shone through, and it felt as if she was speaking and playing to a friend. It allowed me to connect to the songs one step further. Those are my favourite kind of gigs, intimate and vulnerable, where you can connect with not just the songs, but the artist as well. She even sang one song in the wrong key, only swapping to change keys at the end because she realised it was too high! That kind of openness was, in a way, delightful.

And then my soul said hello, because Billie Marten and her band took the stage. The feeling of “wow, this is really happening” entered me. This is the person I haven’t been able to stop listening to, about to sing the album I haven’t stopped listening to! So, just a little warning, everything I say here is completely drenched in my obsession and love for her.

The room made it known we’d been waiting as she walked on with her band, which consisted of a bassist/backing vocalist and a drummer. I found this to be a beautiful arrangement. It allowed the unique rhythmic aspects and guitar riffs to shine, as well as her lyrics and vocals. She kicked off the night with ‘Feeling’, moving into another song before greeting Brisbane. She has a very natural, easy stage presence that is easy to connect to. Her quick, dry humour, contrasted with the depth and sadness of her songs, shows the facets of her as an artist and relatable human. Like Maple Glider, she felt real.

In saying that, the stage lights made it look like she was a literal angel, glowing in a deep blue ocean hue. I also love the artwork that’s part of her brand. The backdrop was made of fine line drawn faces against a white sheet, which I feel was a wonderful way to visually represent the kind of music she creates – melodies and lyrics that flow and halt with intention. This was made even clearer when hearing her songs one after the other, featuring a mix of old tunes, fan favourites, and hits from her recent album. You can tell that Billie Marten is an artist who crafts her songs with intention. One of my favourite moments was when she played two songs solo. Specifically, ‘Vanilla Baby’. It’s not one I’ve listened to much, but hearing it live and listening to how the story builds up to the line “How can I be vanilla, baby?”, it really struck me.

Billie Marten has now been releasing music for over a decade, and you could tell that some in the audience had been there the whole time. One member made her a sparkling crown, giving it to her right before she happened to play the song ‘Crown’. Another gave her a glass vial of flowers, and Marten made the comment it was like an arts and crafts show and tell.

I continued to love her humour, because when it came down to the final song, she made it very clear it would not be, saying “we’re just gonna walk down the stairs and back up them” referring to doing an encore as “the oldest trick in the book”.

I adored when she played ‘La Lune’ as the first encore song, being one of her oldest tunes, but remaining as impactful and intricate today as when it was released. And then, she ended the show with ‘Swing’ – a personal favourite from Dog Eared. The track stands out for its fuller, more experimental instrumentation. The album already has a lot of instrumental interest compared to Marten’s usual stripped-back songs, but ‘Swing’ feels like a band song. I think that’s why she chose the audience to sing the “oohs” with her, a melody that features throughout the recording with the violin. This was certainly a beautiful, communal way to end the show.

If you want to feel the warm embrace of an angel, you’ll feel satisfied by watching Billie Marten as she tours her latest album, Dog Eared. I definitely was.