SHE feat. Timmy Vegas, Marshall Jefferson & Julie McKnight @ The Argyle, Sydney (23/03/08)
The Argyle is a superb venue, and when two of my favourite house music crews Paul Strange Presents and SHE get together, I get seriously excited. More to the point, this would be the first time I had seen Julie McKnight sing for some time, and Marshall Jefferson for some fifteen years. Unfortunately Sydney, like it has practically all summer, turned on a night of incessant drizzle that dampened the spirits somewhat.
Despite suffering a nearly terminal bout of the flu, I shuffled into the courtyard to be met by a scene that would not have looked out of place in a Dickensian poorhouse. Smokers haggled under any awning they could find and maintained their miserable foothold on the slippery cobblestones. A wise word to the young ladies who came to this venue; high heels, cobblestones, running and rain do not make a good combination if you wants to keep your dignity, and not end up in a sodden heap whilst others chuckle at your misfortune. There were many that fell victim to this deadly combination, and many a gentleman had to save many a fire-red blush.
First up, I ducked into the main room and caught Timmy Vegas going strong in the glass DJ booth. This is the focal point in the main room, and is a great centre point for the masses inside The Argyle to witness the DJs at work. Birmingham’s finest and one half of Soul Central was doing his best to get the crowd stomping, and he gave us a great version of For The Love Of House, slapped in Changes and then gave us a storming version of We Can Rise. I also heard a version of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough that I hadn’t heard before. Timmy had definitely read his crowd as he aimed his selection at the sleeker, pop-house end of town. Despite his best efforts however, there was no doubt who the crowd was there for.
Julie McKnight had captured many hearts over the years and she was the name on everyone’s lips. I believe Julie was supposed to play before Marshall, but a microphone problem meant that his set was divided into two. Marshall, and I know he won’t mind me saying this as I fit into the same category, is one of the elder statesmen of the DJ scene. After Timmy departed the booth, Marshall dropped in some beautifully warm, layered house of yesteryear. He gave us the retro house tune of the moment, Mr Fingers Can You Feel It. He continued with some gorgeous warm acid house, but by now the gathered throng in the main room were baying for Julie.
And this is where I must criticise her hosts for the evening. Julie McKnight has a voice that has been caressed by angels. She has a talent that I believe only Donna Summer can beat, so it was with much annoyance that the production through the mixing desk was awful. She wasn’t on for long but she gave it her best. The feedback was unbearable at the beginning, but they sort of got it right as she serenaded us with her version of Home, then Diamond Life and then the Argyle rocked to Finally. As I said the production did not do her justice, but she herself took the bull by the horns and gave us one of those moments in house that you just had to be there for. Knowing that her performance may have fallen short of what the crowd had expected, she led the entire club in an accapella version of Finally.
From the opening line of “Time marches on never ending”, there was not one voice that did not sing along. From my vantage point downstairs I witnessed every face, every set of hands, every voice raised in adulation as they sang every single word along with the diminutive diva. Everyone lapped it up. It was pure, utter ecstasy. The Argyle had witnessed something undeniably special. Then she was gone from the glass-encased booth, and Marshall Jefferson came back to bookend Julie. He continued in much the same vein as before, but it was gone 2am by this point and many deserted the main room and The Argyle itself.
I took this opportunity to scoot across the courtyard to catch Liquid Love, which I had done periodically throughout the night. The sound here was smooth and legitimately soulful. I really enjoyed the tunes they put together and reckon they deserve a bit of exposure in the main room next time around. I returned to the main floor just in time to catch Marshall drop Deeper Love, and then we were done. At this point I would like to thank the gorgeous girl who had to surgically remove my sunnies which had been inextricably entangled with my hair and hung forlornly the wrong way round from my forehead. This was much to the amusement of those around me but hey, if you can’t make people giggle then you may as well take your ball and trundle off home.
All in all this was a good night, despite the sound problems with Ms McKnight. Something must be done to combat these problems for future shows, and speaking to her afterwards, she found it quite embarrassing and wasn’t happy with the performance. But those who watched and heard her forgave her, and hero-worshipped her out the door as she signed autographs and posed for photos. Many a superstar could take a leaf out of her book. Well done Julie!
