Live Review: Electric Lady: Ali Barter, Alex Lahey, Jack River + More

3 July 2017 | 7:53 pm | Michael Prebeg

"From an idea that only took root a few months ago, Electric Lady has come alive to celebrate the unstoppable momentum of women in music and is a force to be reckoned with."

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We don't often get to see this many women playing together on one stage, but tonight's line-up is all about girl power - designed to celebrate and inspire women.

Gretta Ray may be playing an acoustic guitar for tonight's set but she's certainly got all the electric feels running through her. Ray's triple j Unearthed High winning song Drive has the crowd singing along in unison to every word and her mature and effortless vocal range has us in complete awe of her talent. "Over the past couple of months I've been writing what I hope will become my debut album," Ray reveals. She shares a new song that will probably be on it, called Blue Minded. Her impressive songwriting abilities really shine through as she sings a poetic narrative about the sea.

"Everyone should dance and it'll be fun!" Bec Sandridge assures us. She's ready to rock with a can of Sunkist in hand and a sneaky pocketful of party mix lollies, just in case her blood sugar levels plummet. Sandridge dives into her upbeat catchy tune You're A Fucking Joke, which she says is about thinking you were in a relationship with someone who turns out to be in one with someone else. "It could also be about my performance last night when I fell over backwards on stage. If it happens again tonight, it's planned," she laughs. 

"Thanks for being here and believing in us!" shouts singer-songwriter and founding member of the Electric Lady project - Jack River. Wearing an eye-catching sparkly outfit she shines like a disco ball on stage as she shares her gritty, guitar-infused pop. River treats us to a couple of new songs from her upcoming album as well as dreamy hit Fool's Gold from last year's Talk Like That. She performs a special cover of Tal Bachman's late '90s classic She's So High that lifts us up and makes us feel empowered and electrified.

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"This is the best line-up in the history of ever!" Alex Lahey confirms. She's pretty stoked to be part of this event and playing at Corner Hotel for the first time. We join her to bid farewell to her B-Grade University EP as she promises that next time we see her live she'll be touring her album. For tonight though, we celebrate her honest and relatable lyrics — dedicated to all the Arts undergrads who, just like her, found it tough to get a job. "Go do whatever it is that you want, no matter if it's bingo, archery, or to be a musician. Do it. Give it a go. I hope this inspires you!" she encourages us.

Ali Barter sums up the evening perfectly with her hit song Girlie Bits as she sings, "What's a woman really made of?.. Something glorious." She hits the nail on the head with her fist-pumping feminist indie-rock anthem to bring the show to a close. From an idea that only took root a few months ago, Electric Lady has come alive to celebrate the unstoppable momentum of women in music and is a force to be reckoned with.