What first appeals about the White Eagle Polish Club in Turner is the bottled Polish beer that infuses the drinker with a warm, pleasant glow. Another positive is the club's eagerness to promote itself as a live music venue, thereby enriching live music opportunities in inner city Canberra for local and touring acts.
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I discovered this last Saturday evening, braving horrible weather to attend a concert by Australian singer/songwriter Lucie Thorne.
She entertained an attentive audience with songs about love, friendship and desire taken from her latest album Everything Sings Tonight, which explores the impact of small everyday events on the inner self.
Thorne conjures a simple narrative flow that, like a Raymond Carver story, transforms everyday life into high art. This thematic intent is also pleasant on the ears, her voice projecting a desirable sultriness that suggests the artist is engaging with her art despite touring every known location in the country.
On this occasion, Thorne was accompanied by versatile drummer Hamish Stuart and guest trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky who added a plaintive Miles Davis flavour from the A Kind of Blue period.
Life on the road when you aren't Taylor Swift or the Rolling Stones can be a hard slog, and the audience lapped up Thorne's between-song tale of her beloved mini-van breaking down in the right hand lane of the M4 freeway when driving to a show in the Blue Mountains.
She still performed, a testament to her devotion to her craft (something sorely lacking in the upper echelons of the mainstream entertainment industry). Thorne is practiced at taking audiences along for the ride, the only distraction being my desire for more of that tasty Polish beer.
That aside, the show was a mostly successful foray into blues and folk music from a talented grassroots artist.
An important part of this success story are the local music venues taking a punt on visiting acts, which attract audiences with minimal promotion and without the bells and whistles the industry lavishes on those at the top end of town.
The White Eagle Polish Club might not be the most glamorous of venues, but the small touches make all the difference, such as the provision of a friendly, accommodating space with top international beer in ready supply, enough room for a decent sound system and mixing desk and, most importantly, enthusiasm for quality music which makes the daily slog more worthwhile for punters seeking decent gigs in Canberra on a Saturday night.
