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Missy Higgins soundtracked my generation of queer teens. Seeing her live is euphoric

Her debut album The Sound of White turns 20 this year. It’s still brilliantly queer and as heart-stirring as ever

Her first album, 2004’s The Sound of White, blends discussions of platonic, romantic and filial love, with pronoun choices that sent young fans scrabbling for the lyric sheet, checking to see whether Higgins did in fact just sing “she”. When Higgins settles at a piano, dressed in a frilled suit jacket (she describes the tassels hanging from her sleeves as “my flaps”), what pours out is shocking in its extremity. A group of people, standing huddled together, singing the songs that gave them life, looking for meaning and knowing they won’t entirely find it – well, doesn’t that remind you of who you used to be?

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