Live Review: Alex The Astronaut, Stella Donnelly, Jeffe

A trio of musicians performed on the Oxford Art Factory stage tonight and not only did their musicianship, songwriting and personalities shine, but also the sold-out crowd were transfixed.

Jeffe immediately showed her talents on the keyboard to accompany her dreamy voice. This multi-talented artist from Sydney is getting noticed for her airy pop and mesmerising sound. Playing to a large group of early punters can only enhance her profile as she prepares to play Groovin The Moo in a few weeks.

It takes a confident artist to come out on stage and perform a cover as their first song. When that cover is The Beatles' Across The Universe, and it is sung so perfectly and sweetly that it's like it was written for her 50 years earlier, you have a superstar. Stella Donnelly is that superstar. With an almost constant smile as she sang and told cheeky jokes in between songs, Donnelly held everyone's attention throughout her whole set.

Songs from Donnelly's 2017 EP, Thrush Metal - about which she admits, "I thought I'd only sell 30 cassette tapes" - were combined with tracks about her old boss, unfortunate Christmas guests and polishing turds. The content warning before discussing and performing Boys Will Be Boys highlighted the raw power of a song that has come to represent a changing world. The completely silent and attentive crowd soaked it in and appreciated an artist that says so much with every single word she sings. The transition to Basement Jaxx's Good Luck is something that not many could pull off, but this is Donnelly, superstar.

We thought Donnelly was endearing! But we were yet to meet Alex The Astronaut. Described by her co-headliner as "the nicest woman in the music industry", Alexandra Lynn took to the stage with a sheepish grin, her customary ponytail and an acoustic guitar. Her storytelling was the highlight of the night - whether via banter about cage 'dancing' on Oxford Street, sad stories of lost friends and Paul Kelly anecdotes, or songs like Rockstar City and What Sydney Looks Like In June.

Of course, we got a sneaky duet when Donnelly joined Lynn on stage for a cover of Peter, Bjorn & John's Young Folks. The harmonies echoed brilliantly as the crowd sang along. When song lyrics were changed ("dick around!") we all laughed and wished we could be their BFFs.

Lynn thanked us for our attentiveness and for engaging with her music instead of "something easier to listen to, like Peking Duk". The crowd laughed again. She introduced a new track, encouraging us all to sing split parts.

For the encore, Donnelly re-joined Lynn for a "bogan singalong" of Jimmy Eat World's The Middle. We sang back, "Everything, everything will be all right," which is definitely true when we have such fantastic live shows in this country.