Music / The Waifs. At Canberra Theatre, July 13. Reviewed by CASSIDY RICHENS.

THE Waifs delivered on all counts. Masterful yet humble, tight yet spontaneous with the sold-out audience exactly where they wanted to be.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their “Up All Night” album with a 44-gig tour of Australia, The Waifs had so much presence, there were moments when I felt like I existed in that concert alone.

Thirty years on, WA-based sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson were brilliant, their contrasting voices – as distinctively different as their onstage persona – harmonising together, the feature of their acoustic up-tempo sound.

Dressed in a teal velvet coat, mini, and boots, Thorn shone. Her voice bright and consistent, she performed a stunning version of “Bridal Train”, her 2004 composition from the album “A Brief History”. Her performance of Cunningham’s “Lighthouse” brought the house down.

Blissfully bouncing about on stage while playing her blues infused harmonica, Thorn was clearly enjoying herself. Her country/bluegrass vocal stylings particularly present in her performance of “Three Down”, she also performed on guitar and mandolin. As comfortable as your favourite T-shirt, but fresh and energetic, she beamed.

Thorn began playing harmonica alongside her sister in the bluesy duo Colours at age 16. In 1992, South Coast Moruya local Josh Cunningham joined them to make The Waifs. The “Up All Night” album came a decade later. Twenty years on, the almost 50-year-old, is writing new material for the much-loved Waifs and has recently branched out on a solo career as Thornbird.

Simpson’s wonderful stories of a life on the road were warm, intimate, and funny. Speaking in an overt manner, along with amusing tales from across the globe, she recounted various trips to Canberra, citing gigs at the National Folk Festival as milestone moments, and their infamous six-to-a-room stay at the Lyneham Inn. Her grateful tone was well received by her loyal fans.

Opening with “Fisherman’s Daughter”, the elder of the two sisters, thoughtful throughout, delivered wonderful versions of “Rescue” and “London Still”, the 2002 song that caught the attention of mainstream audiences. Hitting the “Greatest Australian Songs of All Time” list, and billed as the song that changed everything, it was funny to learn that the heartfelt ode to missing home was based on a four-day stay!

Guitarist and songwriter Cunningham’s moving performance of “Gillian”, a song he wrote for his mum, had the entire audience singing along. Also, the writer of “Lighthouse” and multiple other songs on the celebrated album, Cunningham was outstanding.

His remarkably clear and technically brilliant guitar playing sublime. Noting the exceptional work of their touring production team, it’s hard to recall a better sounding acoustic guitar. In fact, the production was outstanding across the board.

Joining them on stage for a performance of the double-platinum, award-winning album, was Ben Franz on stand-up and electric bass and Dave McDonald on drums.