Live Review: Meg Mac, The Money War

Melbourne showstopper Meg Mac packed out the Waratah Hotel, delivering a bare and captivating performance.

The Money War were unassuming, and hardly announced themselves as they took their positions. A very early set meant the crowd was distant and sparse, but leant into the stage curious to see some quality local music. The duo from Perth - here expanded to a four-piece - has a reputation for turning hopeless themes into happy, 'sunny' music and it's a reputation clearly deserved. Dylan Ollivierre led the ensemble with purring choruses while touring guitarist Matt Shehan seemed in a world of his own with incisive riffs that gave the rhythm a distinctly beach-rock colour to complement their mellow indie sound.

While the audience was largely still or sitting, each song was received with earnest applause. Their brand of melancholy guitar refrains combined with upbeat percussion and energetic harmonising makes for an impressive blend of mixed emotions. The duo captured the attention of the crowd with solid jamming on each song, especially on their new single Hold On, where the soothing vocals of statuesque Carmen Pepper shined. Their energy grew as the set continued, and as more people gathered around their tunes blossomed into a less controlled but delightful flurry of guitars and harmonies. They concluded with the clear highlight of the set in Recall, a release that has earned them much acclaim and signals a bright future for the artists. It brought with it a warm reception and a very high note to welcome the main act.

Meg Mac needs no introduction, a triple j Unearthed icon and strongly independent artist that has earnt her admiration at home and abroad with a distinctly local vibe. The crowd was buzzing in anticipation, with no room to move in the intimate venue. It was the third sold out show in as many days for the artist, Megan McInerney, and she wasted no time in commanding the audience's attention with bellowing vocals. People danced about with their circles of friends, grinning. Elegant and unaffected, the electronic elements of the sound brushed up against her voice without engulfing it, and each song was driven by strong piano sections before leading into rhythms driven by infectious hand claps. The crowd worshipped McInerney, falling to silence when she performed solo on the piano for Shiny Bright, a stark and moving version that showcased how deeply from the heart her lyrics are drawn, "Growing up is getting harder to handle… Are you waiting for it to fall down?" Her debut album, Low Blows, was so very deliberately named and the bare sincerity of these ballads made the high notes feel all the more profound. Cheers erupted from the crowd when the trademark claps of Grandma's Hands kicked in and everyone chanted along to Roll Up Your Sleeves.

McInerney stared down the crowd and told them how it is, with audience members mouthing along to their favourite songs until breaking into wild applause. Having toured with D'Angelo in recent years, the artist has matured in her live presence, with folk and soul-tinged harmonies supported by her wonderful sister on backing vocals. McInerney was clearly excited to air the songs in real life and the brightest moments saw the artist humming deeply over building drums, occasionally breaking the stage persona and smiling shyly. The crowd demanded more and cheered madly at the deer-in-the-headlights AV tech before the encore. Didn't Wanna Get So Low But I Had To had the crowd moving with the emotion of the track, the organic harmonies between McInerney and her backing singers finished to rapturous applause to show how warmly McInerney is loved by Tasmanian audiences.