Live Review: Thelma Plum - Northcote Social Club

Sydney singer-songwriter Hein Cooper kicks things off, delving deep into honest, emotive, soulful indie-folk with plenty of catchy hooks. The room remains silent and still as Cooper captivates with his beautiful acoustic melodies and attractive falsettos during memorable tracks such as Eyelids.

MTNS (pronounced Mountains) are up next with their unique blend of chillwave/ indie-rock that slowly builds up and instantly commands viewers. Their atmospheric presence takes us along a complex, entangled incline filled with layered synths and reverberating drum samples. Tom Eggert's lead vocals have just the right balance of light and shade with a heartfelt, melancholic vibe.

Thelma Plum comes across as shy, awkward and uncomfortable when she speaks, but when she sings, she shines. Beginning with Breathe In Breathe Out – a captivating, piano-driven track – Plum reveals impressive and distinctive vocal range. The folksy Brisbane songbird radiates in her dazzling sequined top and conveys such raw emotion. Plum is overwhelmed with excitement to be sharing new music from her brand new Monsters EP. After reminding herself to stop talking, Plum dives straight into Young In Love, a new song that begins with haunting strings. Her refreshing new material is more mature and polished, employing echoing falsetto and samples reminiscent of Lana Del Rey. Slow burner Candle is intimate, personal and could be a Lorde track with its powerful, emotive lyrics. Plum then picks up her guitar to perform a catchy, mid-tempo favourite about her 16-year-old best mate, a kelpie named Rosie. An impressive cover of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game, sung as if it's her very own, is delivered and Plum explains it's a song she wishes she wrote, before asking us to pretend she did. Latest single How Much Does Your Love Cost? is Plum's most upbeat track to date with its edgy, Western-style guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums and danceable beat. It proves to be a standout track live.

Plum returns for a final encore and sits pretty in her comfortable spot, acoustic in hand. She strums along to a mash-up of two charming, quirky tracks with perfect, singalong choruses: Around Here and Dollar. There's plenty of swearing and syncopated hand clapping for crowd particpation.