It’s been five years since I last stepped into The Vanguard in Newtown — right on the cusp of Covid in March 2020, the night Dyson, Stringer, Cloher took the stage. Back then, the streets were eerily quiet, and I scored a park right outside the venue — an act of God in Inner West terms. Tonight, the scene couldn’t be more different. Newtown pulses with energy, the kind that makes you lean into a gig just that little bit harder. And Liz Stringer is back, solo this time, to launch her searing new record The Second High.
Before Stringer takes the stage, it’s Candice Lorrae who opens the night with a set that’s part storytelling, part spell-casting. Her tales of childhood and family weave gently between songs, and her cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” sends a collective shiver through the crowd — the kind that lingers.
Stringer arrives without fanfare, almost unnoticed, flanked by guitarist Megan Bernard. But the moment the first notes of “First Time Really Feeling” ring out, the room shifts. People lean in. Lovers wrap arms around each other. You can feel the hearts cracking open.
She shares the story behind “To Survive” — about a young man cast out by his father for being gay, who now works with kids battling addiction in Melbourne. It’s not just a preamble; it’s a tribute. Then comes “Anger,” a raw, emotionally jagged song drawn from a toxic relationship. I catch a girl crying quietly near the front. That’s the thing about Stringer — she doesn’t just sing to a room, she sinks into it.
The title track “The Second High” is a standout. Stringer moves to the keyboard and plays with the kind of casual intensity that’s rare — like she’s letting you into something sacred without making a show of it. “Victoria” follows, a love letter to Melbourne, a city in flux.
Before diving into “Dangerous,” she talks Nick Cave, wisteria, and purple rinses in Moonee Ponds. The track — inspired by someone who helped her through the rough days of sobriety — is both sharp-edged and soft-hearted, a perfect encapsulation of Stringer’s power.
By the end of the set, there’s no doubt: this is one of Australia’s most quietly devastating songwriters, commanding a room not with flash but with fearless, emotional precision.
Stringer has just announced that she will be performing at St Pancras Church in London on 18 June. Go HERE for tickets.
Stream The Second High HERE.
Images Deb Pelser
