LIVE REVIEW: DALLAS FRASCA PLAYS LED ZEPPELIN + MINNIE MARKS @ CROWBAR 02/10/25

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

It's been a huge week for blues rockers with The Animals, Tash Sultana, Minnie Marks, and Dallas Frasca delivering their raw and authentic style of music to the crowds of Brisbane music fans. The Crowbar hosted Sunshine Coast-based musician Minnie Marks and the divine Melbourne-based rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter Dallas Frasca. These two exceptional Australian women of blues and roots music delivered faithful and exceptional performances based on their Earth-shaking vocals, thundering guitar riffs, and some sonic surprises. As it was so eloquently put, the crowd helped Dallas Frasca “pop my Led Zeppelin cherry”.

Minnie Marks opened the evening with her distinctive blues sound. She packs a musically blazing percussive punch: like a pack of fruit tingles being thrown into a bottle of coke. She played a short and sharp set. She launched into ‘Jack in the Box’. Minnie Marks is not just some blazingly electrified guitar playing freak of nature. She is also a rare triple threat: singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. 

She was equipped with her Goldtop Gibson in her hands and a revolutionary Farmer Foot Drum with a cymbal at her feet. Minnie Marks consistently pushes musical limits with her mind-blowing, dynamic guitar wizardry and her insanely powerful voice, that roars out her truth through song as if her own life depended on it. And, if that’s not enough, simultaneously, creates bone marrow shaking grooves with spare limbs on her Foot Drum kit. Finally, all three beasts are married together to forge a mammoth sized wall of sound as heard in ‘Bohemian Cocaine’.

Minnie Marks was a one-woman blues hurricane as she delivered songs ‘Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire’, the fantastic traditional blues song ‘Someone’s Cutting Onions Around Here’ that she wrote in response to an “old fella” who told her at a gig she was too young to sing blues music. She closed out her set with a song written when she was 15 years old when she came home from her first ever party, a bit drunk: “where I put myself to bed, but before that I did 5 hours of guitar practice…and from that event there was 3 to 4 minutes that was any good”. And, that blues song had a surf rock groove that was addictive.

After a short break, as the crowd built, it was time for Dallas Frasca to take to the stage and deliver her re-imagining of Led Zeppelin’s iconic songs.

Dallas Frasca, with her trademarked red hair, raspy powerhouse blues voice, and her superb guitar playing skills, took to the stage and blew the crowd away with her homage to one of the greatest rock bands of all time. She delivered a one-woman, high-voltage celebration of Led Zeppelin’s legendary catalogue with her signature raw energy and golden voice.

Dallas Frasca, with her trusty and fabulous guitar tech Kit, commenced the set with ‘Friends’ and then quickly moved into ‘Ramble On’ and ‘Over The Hills’ before she stopped to address the crowd. She used the songs to educate the crowd about Led Zeppelin, their songwriting finesse, and to play trivial pursuit with the crowd as she questioned us about all matters Led Zeppelin and other song writers such as Joni Mitchell and the link to “guess that song?” As she changed guitar and then performed ‘Going to California’.

The middle of the set saw Dallas Frasca deliver the devastating love song ‘Thank You’. Then, her lovely black and red guitar, that she had broken the neck of twice, was warmed up as she told the crowd: “the guitar had been in a box for ten years but was still in tune” as she played ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ on it. Then, she changed over to the mandolin to play ‘Battle of Evermore’. Dallas Frasca joked about the difficulty of learning and playing the mandolin and its 8 strings. You would never have known that she had never played the instrument live before, as she was so skilled at it.

Before she started playing ‘Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You’, Dallas Frasca explained the story of the song’s folk music history and its original writer, folk singer Anne Leonard Bredon. She explained about the interest in the song by Joan Baez and others and how Anne Bredon won the court case to get her intellectual property rights back. Then, she performed the huge rocker ‘Nobody’s Fault’ before Dallas Frasca said: “Let’s take it up a notch”.

The crowd was then treated to the songs ‘Kashmir’, ‘Black Dog’ and the ‘Immigrant Song’. The crowd was singing along and having a wonderful time. The interaction between the crowd and Dallas Frasca was genuine. The crowd was loving her performance. I think many wasted hours of youth were being relived.

Then, Dallas Frasca said: “Okay. Let’s take it up again” as she got ready to deliver the classic ‘Stairway To Heaven’ with a small SNAFU, but the crowd yelled out when the glitch was realised with a “Don’t worry, Babe” and “So good. Let’s do it twice”. The song was re-started and the crowd was going off – singing at full volume. Then, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ wrapped up the performance where she played her guitar with a bow and it was so beautifully done. The song closed out the set to the delight of the crowd as it was the perfect crescendo.

Dallas Frasca led the crowd through a wonderful full, yet stripped-back, sonic pilgrimage through the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. She really was one woman, with her guitar, channelling the thunderous spirit of Led Zeppelin.

This is a performance not to be missed – if you love blues, Led Zeppelin, Dallas Frasca or just want to hear quality live music – then this is the gig for you.