Live Review: Jhene Aiko, Thandi Phoenix

It's a pretty packed house tonight at the Enmore for a night of edgy, alternative soul and R&B.

Sydney artist Thandi Phoenix does a bang-up job of getting the crowd amped for what's to come. She's enthusiastic, charming and focused, belting out a mix of funky jams and powerful anthems. New single Unravelling is well received and she's joined by local rapper B Wise for the track Judgement. Not a bad way at all to start a Monday night.

Tonight's main event, Jhene Aiko, is about 15 minutes later to stage than expected. It makes for a few restless crowd members but her sweet personality and stage presence make it very difficult for them to stay restless for long. Aiko appears pint-sized when she emerges to those up in the Enmore's seating area but her vocals, when not weaving in and out of her sometimes rambling style, are strong and filter well throughout the entire venue. She loses her shoes minutes after taking stage and we feel totally comfortable with the California native. She's all about trust and connecting with us — what a sweetheart.

Aiko covers a fair bit of her discography in what feels like not enough time with the singer, who is spreading so many positive vibes tonight. One of her earlier mixtapes, Sailing Soul(s) gets a bit of play, though it's her Sail Out EP of 2013 that appears to get the most love from fans — Bed Peace and The Worst in particular. A couple of her well known guest spots in Omarion's Post To Be and Drake's From Time also get a run, with Aiko putting a slow-jam spin on her bouncy Post To Be verse.

Aiko avoids the standard encore cliché but it's not necessary anyway — Sydney is pretty damn satisfied with what just went down.