Rowena Wise @ Shotkickers

Naarm/Melbourne-based Rowena Wise (fka Ro) has a burgeoning reputation as a live performer, delivering songs that have a newfound sense of honesty, holding space for all of life’s beauty and messiness. Following the release of the “carefully etched indie folk” (Clash Magazine) single ‘Nobody’s Saviour’, Rowena celebrates her new music by taking it on the road, with tour dates that includes a launch show at Naarm/Melbourne’s Shotkickers.

Hailed as a “lyrical assassin” by the Australian triple j community, Rowena’s storytelling is like a close friend, offering heady ruminations on love, loss and alienation while giving gentle echoes of courage and empowerment. Inspired by the strong storytelling sensibilities of 60s folk icons, Rowena is a sharp lyricist who finds truths in fiction, sketched over a sound that is best filed as indie rock, garage pop and alt-folk.

A delicate yearner and observer, her single ‘Nobody’s Saviour’ released on Nov 15th bounces along with quiet confidence, examining the breaking point when one loses oneself in the pursuit of saving others. “I think love can make you stand too close to the painting to see it for what it is”, says Rowena. “I’ve learnt the hard way that you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, and you can’t love someone else if you don’t love yourself.”