Live Review: Lorde, Safia

Kicking off the night to a swelling crowd bigger than any they'd played to before, Canberra's Safia provided a tight, groovy set filled with an eclectic mix of their electronic-indie sound contrasting vastly with the soaring, soulful vocals of leading lad Ben Woolner.

Showcasing his vocal range with a stunning cover of James Vincent McMorrow's Cavalier that rivalled the original, his voice was, at times, chill-inducingly good. Their cover of Tear It Down by The Aston Shuffle gave the underage third of the crowd a taste of what the inside of a (decent) club might look like, while final track, their own Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues translated brilliantly live, with a driving bass line and funky groove that left everyone thoroughly breathless.

New Zealand's sweetheart Lorde walked on stage to a roar from the crowd, all with iPhones at the ready to try and capture every moment for posterity (and Instagram). Launching straight into Glory & Gore, the talented youngster commanded the stage right from the beginning with her weird dying-bird dance moves and intense vocals. Dressed in a simple black suit, signature black lipstick and giant hair, she gave the impression of a girl who doesn't give a crap about what anyone thinks of her. Preferring to go it alone, with no flashy backing singers or expensive special effects, she was joined by the very minimum on stage, a band of two, and a lot of pre-recorded harmonies.

"The fact that she pushed through was testament to her strong will and determination."

Unfortunately, about 20 minutes into the set, right in the middle of Buzzcut Season she paused, apologised and quickly exited the stage. After ten minutes or so of confusion, she returned, apologising profusely, holding her stomach and mentioning that she felt very unwell. After this, her movements were a lot more reserved and though she still provided the flawless vocal performance we were all hoping for, it was clear she wasn't well as she called for a chair later in the show and spent much of the time sitting down to sing for fear of passing out. The fact that she pushed through was testament to her strong will and determination, and chart-topper, Royals, had everyone singing along as if nothing was wrong.

At many points during her performance it's easy to forget how young she really is, but on remembering, there's always that moment of, “so, what am I doing with my life?”