Nick and Liesl: Live at Bon Amici

After getting knocked back for a grant to fund their next album, Nick and Liesl decided to release a fully home made ‘in-betweener’ to tie their fans (and themselves) over till they can afford a full-length album to follow-up from their critically acclaimed debut Feather (“Honestly, Feather is one of the best albums I’ve heard in forever” - Rhythms, May 2011). So while many of their peers are going down the crowd-funding route to fund their studio time, Nick and Liesl decided to put to use the recording skills, and the equipment, invested in over the past five years of home recording and record a high-quality low-cost acoustic EP at home and by themselves.

Friend and Lover is a light and sweet, at times almost kitsch, release.  It captures the essence of Nick and Liesl’s sound - the beautiful vocals and superbly blended harmonies - and reflects on themes of love, loneliness and life split between two continents. We even get a taste of the duo’s European influences with the inclusion of a French song by Carla Bruni. The EP proves that the duo can bring us a stellar release also without the backing of musicians of the calibre that we heard on Feather.  Yet the EP is not completely without backing either. Subtle but creative additions in the form of percussion, strings and even a simple music box complement the guitars and piano, leaving a few new discoveries for the listener after their first listen.

Since their last release, Nick and Liesl have been touring extensively, including their fifth European tour and major festivals like Woodford and Caloundra. Quite unexpectedly they have also become involved in writing for the theatre stage and film, through a chance encounter with US-based writer Jeremy Culver and composer Charleene Closshey. In fact, the Feather album has become the original soundtrack to a new musical by the same name, which has just been invited to the New York Musical Theatre Festival in July. Nick and Liesl have also just finished working on songs for a movie currently being filmed in the States, featuring notable actors and artists such as Robert Loggia and Naomi Judd.