Was trying to remember the name of the artist work colleague Karen told me about. This female musician was from Darwin and played the ukele. I was unprepared for the number of references on Google after I typed in the search terms “ukelele” and “Darwin”. Seems that the instrument is very popular up north, and there is a group of people who call themselves “Dukes” – Darwin ukelele collective. They gather in public places such as parks and pubs and have ukelele jam sessions.
I finally found the musician Karen was telling me about – Leah Flanagan, with a style described as “equal parts Lucinda Williams and Shirley Bassey” (Jeff Apter, author). I’ve been enjoying her “September Song” which features uke strumming – quite a different sound, and kind of refreshing to the ears. I think the ukelele is a musical instrument that is often overlooked. It looks and sounds like a toy guitar but when played well, it evokes a laid back, relaxed mood reminiscent of the sunset, of gentle waves lapping onto a clean sandy beach, a cooling breeze and perhaps a nice tall glass of something.