The west coast city of Perth doesn’t have a heck of a lot of iconic landmarks, but who gives a rats when instead there’s iconic Perth musicians like Felicity Groom making sounds that ring through the country greater than any Belltower could. Yep, Groom ticks some impressive boxes, alright: she’s got the cool, feminine confidence of a 60s pop princess like Francoise Hardy, only her sugary melodies are peppered with bouts of wailing and growling sure to appeal to fans of the dirty rock of Nick Cave or PJ Harvey. This sultry songbird has a talent that’s seen her wing it ‘round the world, first warbling her dark, folk-pop compositions through London, Paris and Berlin, before making her nest in Perth, where she decorates it with shiny things, like her West Australian Music Awards for Best Indie Pop Act (2009 and 2010) and Best Commercial Pop Act (2011). Triple J got wind of Groom’s 2009 debut EP, Treasures, and immediately whacked it on high rotation and made Groom a feature artist, so all could share in the brooding melancholy of magnetic tracks like ‘Criminal’. Up pricked the ears of Tim Rogers, Paul Dempsey, Sally Seltmann, Sarah Blasko and Tame Impala; who have all called on Groom to support their shows. Speaking of mates, Groom ain’t short of ‘em: rock up to one of her gigs and there’s always a lucky dip of (sorta famous) Perth musicians causing a ruckus with striking lead singer Groom on stage. Expect to see members from Jebediah, Tame Impala and Pond join in on any given set list. They, like us, are in constant awe of Groom’s instrumental talent (on guitar, autoharp and keys) and revel in the exciting musical arrangements she comes up with. Groom smashed out the mega catchy Finders & Keepers late 2010 (accompanied by an ultra-rad video clip) and we haven’t been able to stop humming ehhhhh-yeah-ehhhhh-yeah to ourselves since. It’s the first taste from her upcoming 2011 debut, Gossamer – given the solid history of success its creator has enjoyed up until this point, there’s no doubt this album will take Groom from local landmark to major attraction.
