The first time I saw her live, my friends and I didn't actually know that she was going to be there. We went to see "The Panics" at the Powerhouse (2008), and she was supporting!! I only really knew a couple of her songs, but the ones I did know, I loved. We had a great position leaning against the speaker, where we could hide our shoes (heels= uncomfortable for dancing) under the stage and steal set lists. After that pre-lisa-fame experience, it was so bizarre to see the sea of fans at the Woodford show I wrote about earlier, just a year and a bit later!! I saw her again the next day at a smaller venue (however, still completely filled with singing fans!) and then mid this year, at The Tivoli.
Photo by Catherine Wilson
It's difficult to describe Lisa's stage presence. I don't know if I'd call it awkward, or polite, or shy, but it kind of reminds me of me. Some people see her live and are disappointed with how she communicates with the audience, but I get it. At one point in the Tivoli show, she attempted a joke. I'm sure it would have been very funny if we could see her thought process, but we couldn't.. so it wasn't received particularly well. This humanises her in my eyes. Of course, my view could possibly be a little distorted. In my eyes, as well as being human, she is a beautiful and incredibly stylish lady with super human lyric writing abilities. Her musical influence is one of the most prominent in my music, and her style in the way I dress. I make an effort not to be like people in obvious ways, to be my own person. But in this instance, I struggle. I'm not sure if it's because we're very similar, or because I'm just so inspiered by her. Either way, it's not intentional, and apparently unpreventable. She is almost too much the person I aspire to be.
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