Emma Pritchard

A near capacity crowd filled the Saraton Theatre in Grafton on February 4 to watch one of the country’s most beloved singer-songwriters step onto the stage and deliver one of the most musically personal and intimate performances of her career.
Bringing her Solo Acoustic ‘Songs and Stories’ Tour to the Clarence Valley last week as part of her journey throughout regional Australia, eight-time ARIA Award winner Amy Shark received multiple rounds of applause throughout the night as she stripped back her catchy indie-pop style of music and wholeheartedly embraced the clean-cut authenticity of her work, mesmerising the audience with her incredible vocal range which was magically complimented by her guitar playing abilities and boosted by the addition of melodic piano tunes.
After opening the show with her 4 x Platinum smash hit Adore, an independent release which catapulted her to stardom in 2016, Shark warmly acknowledged those in attendance for coming and revealed the acoustic tour was one she had wanted to do for a really long time.
“I think having it (the performance) nice and intimate is the only way to go,” she revealed, before proceeding to tell the crowd about how the ambience she previously experienced while attending an acoustic show would stick with her forever.
“Moreso than the bigger pop shows,” she added.
“I wasn’t sure when I announced this tour how many people would be interested in hearing my songs stripped back, like how I wrote them.
“But it’s really cool that you guys are interested (and you’re here).”
Shark has already received widespread praise for her first entirely acoustic set with fans falling in love with their favourite songs all over again in a whole new way.
One of the most popular venues in the Clarene Valley, the Saraton Theatre has a long and proud history of hosting notable artists, with the building perfectly designed to capture and amplify acoustic sets during live performances.
While the crowd needed no encouragement to sing along to some of Shark’s biggest hits including Worst Day of My Life, C’mon, and Beautiful Eyes, they also listened intently between songs as their favourite artist shared the stories and inspirational moments behind some of her most powerful and engaging lyrics which resonate with millions across the world.
Shark also invited one starstruck fan onto the stage as her stand-in videographer during the show to film a snippet of the performance for her social media while actively encouraging the audience to clap and cheer and go wild before thanking her special guest and posing with her while she snapped a selfie.
Saving two of her greatest hits Mess Her Up and I Said Hi from her 2018 album Love Monster until the end of her show, Shark told the crowd it was so nice to see people care and want to attend an acoustic performance.
“Thank you so much Grafton,” she said.
“I’ve had the best night.”
Shark was supported on her Solo Acoustic ‘Songs and Stories’ Tour by up-and-coming alternative/indie singer-songwriter Amelie Farren who continued expanding her repertoire while performing her original hits including Unsweetened Lemonade and Codeine Coca Cola.