Claire Hollingsworth
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | SELF
Music
Press
Bedroom Philosopher
with Awkwardstra and Claire Hollingworth
Tuesday, December 15 2009 @ Toff in Town, Melbourne
by Susan Munro
The Bedroom Philosopher's (nee Justin Heazlewood) had a good year. He's been on John Safran's race relations as 'Re-enactment John', had a successful tour and played a number of sold-out shows at the Fringe and Comedy Festivals. The boy from Burnie's unique brand of quirky dialogue, self-deprecating humour, and preppy 70s style has gained him many fans. Tonight he plays the second of three shows in a residency at Melbourne's iconic music club Toff in Town. As an additional treat, we get to see him in action with his full band, the Awkwardstra.
Opener Claire Hollingworth is all 50's style in circle skirt and petticoats. She stands atop the theatrette-style stage playing songs full of quirk and oddity. The adopted Melburnian gal does a brilliant cover of Muscle's 'Muscles, I Love You' in eggshell-frail voice (she loves him because, 'he sings songs about ice-cream and ecstasy and getting stalked.'). There's something about her you can't help but like – her awkward stage banter is endearing, her voice sweet, and songs infused with edgy appeal.
- The Dwarf
Opening was Claire Hollingsworth. This quaintly dressed Perth/Melbourne lass sings songs crafted from simple observation and experiences that have happened to her or those close to her. Her often humorous songs included musing about a stick she had in Portugal that “was stolen” by a thief who she then “ran down to get it back”, the oddly sweet song about stealing someone’s loose change so every time they’re looking for 10 cents they’ll think of her, and a nameless song about “finding out that an actor who played a serial killer is actually a really nice guy”.
Her simple acoustic set stayed mostly guitar, though switched to ukulele occasionally. Highlights included the beautiful, laidback simplicity of The Prospector which contained the most poignant lyric of the set “They find a lot of gold, but they never find the treasure” and the wonderfully humorous jaunt of a song dedicated to Muscles’ song Ice-cream, which was preceded by Hollingsworth proclaiming; “I just want to point out, I don’t really want to have Muscle’s babies” followed by the chorus of “Hey Muscles, I love you, I want to have your babies, I wanna be your song”. All up a great collection of simple, often funny, acoustic songs. - Faster Louder (Review)
Discography
Independently released to EPS: "Open for Misinterpretation" (2007), and "Waiting on Fate" (2008). Both have had airplay on JJJ, RTR, RRR, FBi, ABC, and various community stations. "Craft Savvy Criminal" album due out early 2010
Photos
Bio
Birthed in Perth, on sojourn in Melbourne, Claire has made a few pit stops in between. Switzerland, where she tied a guitar to a backpack and headed out walking one day. Portugal, where she hung up her boots 3 months later. Cottesloe, where she befriended a rat. Kalgoorlie, where she peered into the collective conscience of the largest man-made hole on earth. And more recently, Fitzroy, where she stumbled upon a dressing table...
With two EPs in the last two years (“Open for Misinterpretation” and “Waiting on Fate”) Claire has serenaded the young, the old and the somewhere inbetweens in Perth, Broome, Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne. She is currently writing songs with students at the School on the Hill in Brunswick, including “Connie the Cow”, “Tappy the Tap Dancing Spider”, and “Who ate my Sandwich!?”, and is preparing to release her first album, "Craft Savvy Criminal"
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