Ashe at Max Watts Melbourne
California-based singer-songwriter Ashlyn Rae Willson, aka Ashe, performed at Max Watts in Melbourne as part of her debut Australia tour, and her last headline show for 2022.
Opening for Ashe in Melbourne was Australian indie electro-pop singer Phebe Starr who performed a variety of hits from her latest album Heavy Metal Flower Petal. With songs about learning to be more like a flower ‘because flowers are strong’, we danced along to some crowd favourites including Rollercoaster Man, Whiplash, and last track Air. Phebe and her band were electrifying from start to finish – getting the crowd reeled in and leaving them wanting more. Insider word from the band directly is that they will be touring again shortly, and we can’t wait to catch them in Melbourne sometime soon.
In between the sets, most shows would find you looking at your phone or staring into space just waiting while the stage is set up for the main act. Not at Max Watts on a Wednesday night. The crowd were ready for a big night, and kicked off full-crowd karaoke to The Killers, Taylor Swift, and ABBA to name a few. Despite both old classics and new hits being played, everyone knew the word to every song, and were wrapped up in an audience singalong.
Before long, it was time for Ashe to join her adoring fans to close out her Fun While It Lasted tour dates for the year. The Moral of the Story singer was fresh off her latest album release Rae, and walked onto the stage to Rae’s Theme – which felt fitting for the start of the show. Drawing heavily from both her latest album and 2021 release Ashlyn, it felt like the perfect time to catch Ashe live in concert with a set chock full of hits after hits.
The packed-out crowd filled every crevice of Max Watts, including the stairwell, all here to see Ashe and her supporting band in all their glory. The beginning of the set included the opening track Another Man’s Jeans complete with an incredible violin and guitar solo, I’m Fine and Me Without You. Ashe addressed the crowd to let them know ‘we’re doing alright tonight – the reality is this is my last headline show of the year, so I’m not asking you, I’m telling you that we are gonna make this the best show of the year’.
Agreeing to set the bar high on the night’s performance, Ashe moved from out front and centre to behind the piano for Not Mad Anymore, before leading into Serial Monogamist – which had been requested as a set addition prior to the tour. People went wild for our personal favourite Emotional, before launching into Hope You’re Not Happy with a prelude about not wishing the people you used to love the best. Jokes were made about a ‘Marry me’ sign in the crowd, to which Ashe responded ‘tried that – got a lot of songs out of it!’
The next part of the set contained raw energy from the indie folk star with Angry Woman, a killer cover of Queen’s Somebody to Love, and Save Myself – a song dedicated to positively redefining a bad situation. After a wild few songs, it was time for everyone to ‘chill out’, as the band performed snippets of tracks Taylor, Love is Letting Go, Always and Love You Need.
As we approached the last few songs of the evening with San Jose and omw, Ashe couldn’t help but marvel at the last show of the year’s magic. Throughout the set, we continued to hear ‘I want to come back [to Australia]’ – with the band encouraging everyone to bring a friend (or five) next time so they have an excuse to come back as soon as possible. The backing band consisting of Donnie Laudicina on guitar, Tim Spier on drums and Morgan Paros on violin and keys, were among many of the people thanked by Ashe for making the tour happen – and all received claps and cheers from the crowd.
The band, who do not believe in encores, played out their biggest hits to finish with Till Forever Falls Apart, and Moral of the Story, before finishing on Fun While It Lasted. Receiving some flowers and a card from their loyal fan base, the band closed out by stating ‘I’m so grateful for you all – it’s insane’. From start to finish, Ashe’s contagious good vibes were felt by all, and left us with a warm glow hours after the gig’s end. We look forward to seeing more of the talented singer-songwriter when she’s next back in the country.