Lowie Live Presents Mandy Connell & Jhana Allan.
Location
225 Nicholson Street
Brunswick East VIC 3057
Australia
Jhana Allan
Uralla-based singer-songwriter Jhana Allan released her sophomore album, titled ‘Fake Paradise’ in 2024. Themes of desire, addiction, and awareness of the artist’s own need for prioritising rest, forms the backdrop of this shape-shifting release. Drawing inspiration from musicians like The Weather Station, Sam Amidon, PJ Harvey, and Lucie Thorne, the album moves through folk, jazz, and rock soundscapes, retaining a throughline of Allan’s visceral and emotive writing and singing, and grounded by her layered vocal presence.
Mandy Connell
Connell’s arresting presence is what stands out. Singer and guitarist, she is popular for her writing, and loved for her stagecraft, but it’s her breadth of passion for the broader ‘folk’ genre which makes her unusual in Australia. A songwriter with a guitar, Connell has an edge more reminiscent of Margaret Roadknight or Norma Waterson than of Kate Bush or Joni Mitchell. Having worked with a well-known five piece ‘traditional’ band (Stray Hens) reworking contemporary and trad folk ballads, Connell is at home with big production, but continues to work solo or with simple lineups of bass and drums or bass and lead guitar, presenting her own work locally and Internationally with producers in Melbourne (Luke Plumb, Myles Mumford) and the UK.
Since 2017, Connell has hosted a YouTube series called An Otherwise Quiet Room- drawing on interviews and duets in social spaces - shops and bars- and has showcased Sally Dastey, Liz Stringer, Gallie, Mike Compton (Soggy Bottom Boys), and more.
Due to release new music in 2025 produced by Tom Wright (Yellow Arch Studios, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr), Connell has loved independent and live music since early childhood in the 80’s, following artists like Kate Rusby, Andy Irvine, Kristina Olsen, Enda Kenny, Chris Wilson, Cindi Boste, Alistair Hulett, Kavisha Mazzella….
With a passion for soft ballads offset by a love of blues and dance music. Her stage patter and interests are varied, and as an artist she is hard to place within a genre other than that nebulous ‘Folk’ label…
Connell’s career is as diverse as her show is dynamic.
Saturday 17th July
5 pm
Tickets:$15