Kelly Breuer

Reviewed by Mallory Steele

"Using looping techniques, Burger created layers of gorgeous vocals, ukulele and some creative percussion - most notably the accented, bare-footed stomping."

It’s an incredibly beautiful thing to hear distinct voices blending well together, something anybody who has heard Harold Bloom will surely tell you. The Finding Harold Bloom tour is a collaborative concept from three of Adelaide’s leading folk ladies, and if the kick-off at The Wheatsheaf Hotel was anything to go by, it’s going to be one hell of a tour.

Michaela Burger, Mary Webb and Kelly Breuer each bring their own unique qualities to music making, and to experience the three of them performing in one show is an acoustic delight. Bracketed by their co-written song Harold Bloom, each songstress delivered a set of original music, arranged for the trio, with additional support from guitarist Emily Smith (of Breuer’s group Kelly and the Brouhaha).

Folk music is the perfect genre for incorporating stories into both the music and the performance. Every song had a personal touch, both musically and lyrically, and the banter in between - featuring much commentary about uncertain touring logistics - was so casual it was like being at a family barbecue.

Michaela Burger took the first set, enchanting the crowd with incredible vocal versatility both in terms of style and range. Her sweet-yet-sad songs speak of life the way it is, music with honesty and integrity. Using looping techniques, Burger created layers of gorgeous vocals, ukulele and some creative percussion - most notably the accented, bare-footed stomping.

Mary Webb’s set altered the vibe, a little more of a brooding quality to her music at times and a gentle, dark poetry to her lyrics. Uniting expressive vocals with slightly bluesy guitar fills, Webb’s songs were captivating; sweet with a quirky attitude.

Kelly Breuer finished it off with her own feel-good sounds. She writes fabulous music and sings with incredible joy and dexterity. Listening to Breuer I couldn’t help but smile - appropriate as a couple of her tunes are about smiling! The arrangements for the group were particularly impressive in this third set, with strong, rich tones in the vocal harmonies and outstanding work from Emily Smith on guitar.

The idea behind the collaborative tour is to reach audiences across Australia, binding together in an attempt to minimise the costs and pressures of small-scale touring. As well as taking their own albums along for the merch stands, the girls have recorded a compilation CD specifically for the tour, and are planning to write more together as they travel. To help pave the way for other upcoming artists, films, photos and anecdotes from the tour will be made into a documentary and regularly updated on the Finding Harold Bloom blog.

It was clear how excited they all were to hit the road together, as talk of the tour kept coming back up in the conversation that spanned the gig. I feel almost as excited myself, to see what they get up to and to check out what new material they come back with after this clever initiative.

Both as a group and as individuals, the members of the Finding Harold Bloom tour are most definitely a bunch to keep your eye on for some of the best South Australian folk music around.



For more info on Finding Harold Bloom follow them at facebook.com/findingharoldbloom. - Fringe Benefits

Reviewed by Alicia Norton, August 31

“…you could hear why she has been compared to Missy Higgins, especially on the fiery track How do you do. My ‘plus one’ reckoned Kelly was better!”

Bright, bubbly and exploding with personality, Kelly Breuer is a charming and talented young lady, determined to bring a smile to the face of all who come into contact with her. And she’s succeeding every step of the way!
Walking into Guthries, home of the Folk Federation of South Australia on the last Friday night of winter was a slightly odd experience – the venue has been created in the walls of the Prospect Town Hall and therefore feels as if there is a degree of intimacy missing. None the less, with a wine in hand, we settled in for a night be of beautifully crafted songs for a delighted crowd!

Mary Webb first took to the stage, a demure young performer whose songs attempt to take you away to another place. After a slightly shaky start her descriptive lyrics began to enthral the audience, a highlight being the title track of her up-coming album, Forrest Floor. This was by far the most diverse and fierce song of her set and without using any pretentious metaphors, you really felt like Mary shared with us a little piece of her soul.
Soon it was time for The Kelly Breuer Trio (consisting of Breuer and additional help on keys and guitar), opening with a track that Kelly wrote for her mother. Next up was Kelly’s debut single, the quirky and cheerful Smile, It’s Free and as the title suggests, by the end of the track you’ll be beaming. As the set progressed, you could hear why she has been compared to Missy Higgins, especially on the fiery track How do you do. My ‘plus one’ reckoned Kelly was better!

Her tunes are the kind you want to listen to on a Sunday afternoon in the sun with a cider, on a dull Wednesday morning to fight off the mid-week blues or on a Friday night with good friends and a bottle of red.
The gig was rounded off with an encore and the powerful I don’t think you’re lonely which features a pretty rad guitar solo. Kelly’s got a heap of gigs in Adelaide coming up later in the year and with the sun coming out, her tunes will be the perfect accompaniment to summertime.
You can check out her uplifting tunes and upcoming dates at facebook.com/kellybreuermusic. - Fringe Benefits

When: Fri 31 Aug, 8pm
Where: Guthrie’s Folk Centre (aka Prospect Town Hall), 126 Prospect Rd
How much: Fringe Benefits members 2 for 1 entry | General $10
Show your Fringe Benefits card at the door for the discount
We can’t help but feel warm n fuzzy when we hear Kelly Breuer’s upbeat, folky tunes so we think it’s oh-so fitting that her latest EP is titled Smile, It’s Free.
After developing a huge following in Melbourne and Brisbane, the singer and songwriter returns to Adelaide as part of her national tour to celebrate her new EP backed by a special performance from Mary Webb. - Fringe Benefits

Kelly Breuer is soon to be heading out on the road around the country with her debut EP, Smile, It's Free, in tow. The first single and title track has been earning love from local community radio and from the it's launch in Adelaide recently. Breuer will be bringing the EP to life in some of the country's more intimate and charismatic venues and with the help of her band, The Kelly Breuer Trio will be bringing to EP's vibrancy to the stage to its fullest extent. Supporting Breuer will be surf-folk rockers Rokeby Venus, Little Wise and Deans March.
KELLY BREUER - SMILE, IT'S FREE LAUNCH TOUR - AUG/SEPT/OCT 2012
August 31st
GUTHERIE’S, Adelaide SA 8pm
$10 with Rokeby Venus
September 1st
303, Melbourne VIC 8pm
$8 with Rokeby Venus & Little Wise
September 8th
THE TASSIE TAVERN, Port August SA
September 15th
THE MUSIC KAFE, Brisbane West End QLD 12 noon
September 16th
THE TEMPO HOTEL, Brisbane QLD 2pm
September 20th
SOL BAR, Maroochydore QLD 6:30pm
September 21st
THE BANGALOW HOTEL, Bangalow NSW 7pm
September 22nd
THE LOFT, Chevron Island, Gold Coast QLD
September 26th
THE LASS O’GOWRIE HOTEL, Newcastle NSW 8pm
September 29th
THE ARTICHOKE CAFÉ, Manly NSW 7pm
October 3rd
THE FRONT GALLERY & CAFÉ, Canberra ACT 8pm
$10 with Amber Nichols
October 5th
THE RED TILL, Anglesea VIC 8pm $10
October 6th
THE PORT MAC HOTEL, Portland VIC 7pm
October 12th
MARTIAN’s CAFÉ, Deans March VIC 7pm - AU Review

Local girl Kelly Breuer set to take off on East Coast tour.
28/08/20120 Comments


A few weeks ago the plans for Kelly Breuer’s debut EP “Smile, it’s Free” tour were revealed, where she will be heading out on the road to intimate music loving venues along the East Coast. Another Melbourne show has been added in October, along with a slight change in the support line up. With only a fortnight until this gem is available reviews have touted Breuer’s debut as “organic, simplistic and poetic” with high regards for her future endeavours with encouragement to “keep producing this intently satisfying music”.


Joining the talented line up is the inspiring Mary Webb, weaving her own version of acoustic indie song craft that compliments perfectly the warming tunes of the Kelly Breuer Trio. Also Amber Nichols will be helping us light up the Front Gallery & Bar on mild spring night in Canberra.

Kelly will kick off her tour with a show at Guthries on Friday August 31st with Mary Webb supporting. tickets are just $10, so get down there and give her an awesome sendoff! - Live Music Adelaide

Page 30 - Time Off Magazine

Live Review – Andy Armstrong May 4 , 2012
Published in SCALA News, April/May/June Edition 2012. Issue 130, Page 3.

KELLY BREUER. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. Remember the date June 30th at the Wheatsheaf Hotel and be there!!!! That is when Kelly…will you marry me and have my children…Breuer is launching her CD. Spread the word. If the place isn’t packed then this town needs to hang its head in shame. This gal is Adelaide’s female equivalent of the legendary Don Morrison. Playing a mean Maton acoustic better than I have seen any lady playing for a long time Kelly’s songs and stage persona worked big time. And if Corey Stewart has got the best male voice then you’d have to say Kelly has got it in the girl stakes. She talked on stage about her respect for Joni Mitchell and Kelly can I tell you, if Joni had been there at Higher Ground she would have been leading the applause. As with Tristan, when the M.C said at the end of her set “have you got one more?” out came the hilarious and vicious Facebook diss. Kelly we were all there agreeing with you. (The song mentioned “I Don’t Think Your Lonely” has since been included as a live recording on the up-coming Scala compilation album.)
- SCALA News

EP Review of Smile it's Free : 4/5 Stars from Music SA's Shanelle Franklin - Music SA