Live Review: Kate Miller-Heidke, Odette

Sydney Harbour was a fitting backdrop for Kate Miller-Heidke's theatrical performance at Taronga Zoo as part of the Twilight At Taronga summer concert series.

Kicking off the night's festivities was rising star Odette, a 20-year-old Sydney songstress with a soulful voice and lyrical talent. Performing a well-rounded set that featured her highly praised debut single Watch Me Read You, a reasonable Solange Knowles cover and a really solid closing track, Odette showcased exactly why she has been on so many 'Artists To Watch Out For' lists over the past year.

Kate Miller-Heidke took to the stage with an effortlessness that can only come from years of performing. From her opening track The Tiger Inside Will Eat The Child, Heidke commandeered the attention of all attendees, including a small throng of children that ran toward, and stayed at, the front of the stage to watch in awe. Popular tracks including Sing To Me and Caught In The Crowd were well received, however it was the lesser-known songs that really shone throughout the night. Whether it was the touching Are You Ready? - which was written for victims of domestic abuse - or the light-hearted O Vertigo! - a song Heidke shared she once heard described as "Enya on crystal meth" that was sung for a friend's wedding anniversary - or even the powerful, slightly scary dedication to women in You've Underestimated Me, Dude, Heidke is all about the personal aspect of her songs and showcasing this to her audience.

Among these songs was a smattering of works by Miller-Heidke outside of her traditional singer-songwriter scope, including operatic numbers from the opera The Rabbit and Muriel's Wedding The Musical, both of which Heidke was brought on to co-write the music and lyrics for alongside her musical collaborator/husband Keir Nuttall. On top of these gems Miller-Heidke presented a slowed-down reimagining of Whitney Houston's classic I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) and her own well-known The Last Day On Earth to tie up the night.

It says a lot when a musician can keep the attention of kids without pandering specifically to them and, throughout the entire night, Miller-Heidke had a little army of kids and adults front and centre, dancing away - a true mark of a good performer.