Live Review: Missy Higgins, Kate Miller-Heidke & Alexander Gow

A glance at the line-up for Missy Higgins' Razzle Dazzle Summer Tour, and it was instantly clear why she packed out one of WA's biggest venues two nights in a row. Taking opening proceedings, Oh Mercy's Alexander Gow welcomed an early crowd with a charismatic solo performance that allowed his lyrics to breathe new life.

Returning to Australia from a US tour with Ben Folds Five, Kate Miller-Heidke and her backing band were in fine form and knew exactly what moves would get the sea of seated punters on their side and ready for the headline act. Guitarist Keir Nuttall wasn't as lively as usual, but what he lacked in enthusiasm, he made up for with guitar work. Although Miller-Heidke's music and stage presence was quirkier than Higgins', their styles complimented each other nicely, and if catchy melodies didn't win her new fans, the occasional operatic moments would have definitely caught the attention of some.

A warm bed of synths took control of the crowd, who, one by one, rose to their feet and drifted towards the beaming stage lights. An unmistakable silhouette burst through the rays of light and into the foreground of the stage. Missy Higgins received a deafening welcome, and she responded to the roar with upbeat, feel-good single Hidden Ones. From there she rattled off Hello Hello and Set Me On Fire – all tunes from The Ol' Razzle Dazzle, her latest and third album.

She performed her triple j Like A Version of Gotye's Hearts A Mess, before walking off stage for a few minutes to let guitarist Butterfly Boucher, who co-wrote a few songs on The Ol' Razzle Dazzle and co-produced the record, play her own song, Warning Bell. You can tell crowd favourites these days not by the amount of people singing along, but by how many people are holding up their phones. No surprise then, when Scar saw the majority of the crowd raise their arms into the air and press record. With an hour and a half to kill and three albums under her name, fans got to hear a few tunes that don't normally make the cut. Not partial to encores, she bided farewell with Steer, the most recent single of her new album, and disappeared into the cool night's breeze. No doubt, many avid fans would have returned the following night for a second installment.