On Sunday 1 of December, Colie celebrated an exciting year of releases, industry recognition and artist development with a touching performance of her new release Half of What You Are at the Milk Factory Brisbane. The emerging songwriter was joined in her celebration by fellow North Queensland performers Boatkeeper and Dan Baker. The three performed to a warm and engaged Milk Factory audience. The show traversed the spectrum of introspection and memory with recounts of faded memories and aspects of finding peace in nature that delivered intimate and unique storytelling through song.
Colie is the project of singer songwriter Nicole Cross, who released her powerful new single in October 2019. Colie has received great reviews from airplay via triple j unearthed, Double J, ABC Local, 2RRR and many other community radio stations including 4ZZZ in Brisbane. The album was described by Divide and Conquers as an album ‘connected on a deeper level through honesty, integrity, melancholy and through exposition’. Colie’s single explores her experiences growing up a girl in the township of Ingham North Queensland, and particularly, her observation of gender difference between her and her twin brother. Colie describes her life as not being given the same opportunities as her brother, and explains how she is saddened by his missing out on connecting with his sister’s experience of childhood.
The afternoon felt like a warm sharing of humanity and stories, aided by an audience who were receptive and focussed on the layered lyrics. Colie maintains the tradition of resistance against male oppression in a way that is caring and considerate of our shared human experience. If you have a chance to hear Colie’s music, I highly suggest you have a listen as she represents freedom and inclusion in modern Australia.
- The Cosmic Bogan