Kate Miller-Heidke and her partner in life and art, Keir Nuttall, are forging their own uncompromising path forward and doing it successfully.

They have their own distinct musical brand that doesn’t fit snugly into any category. Pop is the foundation, but just when your ears are lulled into pop security, Miller-Heidke can launch into improvisations that land anywhere on a spectrum ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Maria Callas. You don’t know what to expect next and that’s exciting in a music world that has become too predictable.

Catching Diamonds: Keir Nuttall and Kate Miller-Heidke. Photo © Claudio Rashella

On the last occasion I saw Miller-Heidke, it was at the Thebarton Town Hall with her full band. Catching Diamonds is more of an ‘unplugged’ show, although Nuttall proved a deft hand at expanding the sound with his sampler.

In a stroke of genius, Melbourne vocalist Jess Hitchcock has been added to the team and her partnership with Miller-Heidke lifted the vocals to stratospheric level.

The show is a broad sweep of the couple’s original material spanning several albums plus a couple of covers including an early, lesser-known Simon and Garfunkel gem Kathy’s Song.

In the...