Kate Vigo - vocals
Nathan Slater – acoustic guitar
Damien Slingsby - piano
Jules Pascoe – double bass
Ben Hendry – drums
Anita Quayle - cello
Andrew Nock - violin
Rachel Kim - violin
Lachlan Dent - cello
Myles Mumford - trombone
Alistair Parsons – trombon

Saturday 26 April, 9.30pm

Café 303

$10

The Kate Vigo Quintet perform with The Melbourne Underground Orchestra (M.U.O.) to form a mesmerising eleven piece collective.

A memorable show, the underground orchestra add a new depth to Kate Vigo’s original compositions, bringing together their old-world sound with the upbeat yet soulful grooves of the Quintet. The result is an exciting collaboration and a powerful new sound that achieves almost classical aesthetic. Kate’s music combines beautiful subtleties reminiscent of the soulful delivery of Donny Hathaway with a distinct sweetness, and her arranged compositions appeal to diverse audiences in their ability to capture the essence of a lost world.

Young Melbourne singer/songwriter Kate Vigo is forging a growing reputation as a performer who combines musicality with style. Her voice has been described as combining beautiful subtleties reminiscent of the soulful delivery of Donny Hathaway with the sweet mournful tones of Billie Holiday.

Australian music industry icon, the late Clifford Hocking, who presented Kate Ceberano at her first performance at the Melbourne Concert Hall in 1984, said of Kate Vigo, “Kate’s singing bowled me over in the same way that Kate Ceberano’s did when I first heard her. She is a remarkable talent.”

Kate performed at a special Celebration held in honour of Clifford Hocking at the Melbourne Concert Hall (Hamer Hall), in 2006. She performed alongside artists such as Kate Ceberano, Paco Pena, and The Soweto Gospel Choir.

Kate Vigo’s music channels the old-world sadness of Billie Holiday into an almost classical aesthetic, which has been described as an “acoustic Portishead”. Guitarist Nathan Slater’s gentle melodies blend with Ben Hendry’s sensitive drums and Michelle Wheelan’s richly toned double bass.

Kate started singing professionally in 2003 and began her formal music education in 2004 when she enrolled in the Victorian College of Arts to study voice improvisation. Her teachers described her as a natural talent who quickly found an ability to write haunting lyrics and music. Her growing love and appreciation of classical music has also led her to write orchestral arrangements which she has incorporated into her songs.

Music wasn’t Kate’s first career choice, “I completed a 3 year degree in fashion design at RMIT but my interest turned towards music when I started going to jazz jam sessions at Dizzy’s Jazz bar.” Kate became a favourite there and was invited to do a few gigs there by Steve Sedegreen. Since then she has gone on to perform at venues such as Manchester Lane, The Kitten Club, The Paris Cat, The Comfy Chair, The Stork, Spleen Bar and Stone Alley with a band she put together called Kate and the VIGONAUTS.

Kate recently launched her debut album It is Love at Australia’s premiere jazzclub Bennetts Lane, and she is currently performing at venues around Melbourne, including the Paris Cat and Blue Diamond. In the near future she plans to record an album in which she hopes to work with larger scale orchestral arrangements as well as “eclectic, organic sounds used in an electronic setting”. Kate also hopes to collaborate with local talents; “there are so many amazing arrangers and composers in Melbourne I would love to work with”.