By Ellie van Werkhoven
Christmas would not be the same without the annual Milk! Christmas show. On the 22nd of November at 1 pm, the Milk! Christmas Show began at Northcote Social Club, a venue surrounded by cafes, bars, and vintage shops. The venue was small, giving an intimate and chill vibe for the performances. The room was filled with chatter and excitement among the diverse group of people. From families with their young children wearing headphones to protect them from the loud music, to teenagers and young adults with alternative styles, to 30-50-year-olds hanging out with friends. The show began with a performance from Hachiku, playing soft dreamy-like music. Anika Ostendorf shared an anecdote about buying her mother a last-minute £10 ticket to London for Christmas, which the audience found amusing.
Next performing was Dyson Stringer Cloher, consisting of three of Australia’s most accomplished and dynamic songwriters, Jen Cloher, Mia Dyson and Liz Stringer. Performing tracks from their latest release. including what has fast become a classic: Falling Clouds. Addressing the sold-out all ages show crowd, Milk! Records first co-founder Jen Cloher talked about when she was 15, sneaking into an 18+ gig in Adelaide and hitting her head on a speaker from headbanging too hard.
Jade Imagine followed, their songs had a chill pop-rock feel to them, between songs they joked around with each other and the audience.
Following was Milk! Records second co-founder, Courtney Barnett. The audience was eager to watch her performance. People danced and sung along to her songs, Courtney played some of her most popular songs such as “Avant Gardener”, “Pedestrian At Best”, and “Depreston”. The last group to perform was Loose Tooth. They began by announcing the results to the Christmas raffle, where half of the money raised went to Red Cross Bushfire Appeal, and the other half went to ASRC to help refugees and asylum seekers. Everyone who’d bought a ticket was filled with excitement as they read the names.
Although many people left after Courtney Barnett’s performance, Loose Tooth’s performance was very enjoyable, playing some of their popular songs as well as a new song.