Live Review: Ben Salter, Seja, Machine Age

It's nice and cosy in the stately Black Bear Lodge tonight as Adrian Mauro takes to the stage under the nom de plume Machine Age. It's a strangely fitting moniker, as Mauro marries together glistening guitar loops, warbling drone and electronica with a more generic songwriting compositional style. It's something of a jarring mix though – Mauro's vocals at times feel more inclined for traditional folk troubadour fare as opposed to the intricacies he is playing – but there are enough curveballs, eccentricities and confronting noise here that suggests this age may only be beginning.

After a hot toddy, Seja takes the floor with her newly-minted backing band and launches into a brace of songs from her new album All Our Wires. Starting with a three-keys frontal assault (bandmates stand alongside her, with guitarist Tass Greenwood seemingly playing the tiniest keyboard known to (grown) humankind), the set is full of colourful peculiarities, pop nous and unaffected delivery. Like Fireflies and C'mon appear early and artfully showcase the adroit songwriting skills that Seja possesses and how much her confidence as a solo performer continues to grow, while other instrumental flourishes augment the notion that she will never leave her Sekiden roots behind her – an eminently good thing.

After taking to Melbourne then overseas, local boy Ben Salter drags himself on stage to promote latest release European Vacation, and it's clear from the sell-out crowd that he is the prodigal son returned. He doesn't leave them wanting either, playing a set that showcases tracks both new and old, a seamless transition for a performer who continues to surprise and delight. The concept of the EP – that he travel across Europe, collaborating with a variety of people on lyrics and compositions – means that Salter has been pushed, which even includes a spot of electronica for a couple of tracks, especially notable in the excellent The Prophetess. Of course it's the tracks from 2011 album The Cat that receive the most adulation – the title track produces grins, West End Girls produces a singalong (although notably most people sing the chorus' first two lines then hum out the rest), and Dollar Bar's Dale Peachey sings over Salter's shoulder for Opportunities. Combining such strong songs with typically droll, self-deprecating banter, Salter is a consummate performer who always strives to make the audience part of the experience.