Canberra Reviews

Leaving the Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday night, I found myself puzzling over the strangely full house I’d just sat among for a surprisingly lightweight musical. To CTC’s credit, its programming in recent years has become braver – introducing more contemporary works, showcasing local stories, and slowly shedding its reputation as a strictly conservative venue. The shift is noticeable and commendable. And yet, despite these improvements, CTC still seems curiously unaware of the extraordinary depth of talent thriving in Canberra’s back rooms.

That thought crystallised moments later as I wandered past Dissent Bar on City Walk and recognised musician Gregor Murray through the window – unmistakable even in silhouette. Interest peaked, I wandered inside and found myself shaking my head again. This time not in disappointment, but in disbelief at the calibre of music unfolding for a crowd of twenty.

What She’s Having is fronted by Canberra stalwarts Bridget Croft (vocals) and Jenny Spear (vocals, acoustic guitar), joined by an exceptional lineup: Paul Kindermann on bass, Ged Corben on pedal steel, Ian ‘Jonno’ Johnson on drums, and Murray adding guitar and vocals. Together they deliver a sound steeped in the grain of Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch – warm, dusty, emotionally articulate – yet always their own.

Across songs like The Sky, Always the River, Blood Moon, Good to You, Ghost of Love, and a beautifully weighted cover of Lucinda Williams’ Essence, Croft and Spear revealed songwriting with intention, meaning, and an ethereal undercurrent. Bridget’s vocals carry a textured honesty; Jenny’s bring luminous rock and roll; and the band behind them play with a rare blend of restraint, personality, and absolute musical generosity. The interplay between them is seamless, heartfelt, and world class.

Which made the intimacy of the setting all the more astonishing.

Dissent – still relatively new, lovingly run by Dave Howe, and quickly becoming one of Canberra’s most important listening rooms – continues to champion local and interstate artists with adventurous, uncompromising programming. It is exactly the kind of venue where magic like this can unfold on an ordinary Thursday night.

So, to Canberra’s loyal CTC crowd: keep supporting CTC’s growing appetite for risk, absoloutely. But also wander off the main path. Some of the most thrilling, soulful, and world-class music in this city is happening just down the road – in places like Dissent and Smith’s Alternative, where audiences are small, but the artistry is enormous.