Leaving singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell’s gig, one audience member was heard to comment: “If you really want to go retro, why not use a CD Walkman? At least that’s reliable!”

Unfortunately, while former Australian Idol contestant Mitchell and fellow musician Tim Harvey created wonderful sounds and harmonies on their guitars and keyboards, they chose to rely on an ancient cassette recorder for their percussion and pre-recorded loops – and old technology is only charming if it does the job.

Repeated breakdowns, sudden losses of volume, and abrupt rewindings knocked the silver-clad singer’s confidence, leading her to forget the words more than once. Her lyrics tend towards the whimsical, including faeries, mermaids and witches, but the uplifting Spiritus, wistful folk hit Coin Laundry and ominous Warriors saw the girls in the crowd swaying and singing along.

Some new songs such as Wah Ha were low-key, pleasant background music, but others showed new influences - like Warhol, with its extended introduction of the artist describing the correct pronunciation of his name, or Pirouette, slowly building as Mitchell’s breathy, emotive voice became an intense incantation.

In the end, though, the technical challenges and Mitchell’s embarrassed shyness led to a going-through-the-motions round of cheering, with no encore.

Three stars