Live Review: Ella Hooper, Gena Rose Bruce, Jack Colwell & The Owls

Fifteen years in the making, former Killing Heidi lead singer, Ella Hooper, has emerged as a solo artist and began her national tour with a sold out show at The Vanguard.

Joined by emerging local acts, Gena Rose Bruce and Jack Colwell + The Owls, the evening drew an eclectic crowd. Fresh-faced Gena Rose Bruce serenaded the civilised audience with tales of love, loss and life. Her simple, folk-country songs were carried by a captivating voice, at once innocent and fragile yet strong and commanding. Relatively new to the scene, Bruce is a performer with a lot of room to grow. Finishing her set with a cover of Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang was an excellent choice, nicely suiting her husky yet sweet vocals.

Sweet, however, would not be a word used to describe the next act – Jack Colwell and the Owls. All guns blazing from the moment he stepped on stage, Colwell is a force to be reckoned with. His unique brand of art-rock catches the audience offguard initially, the grandeur of his performance almost seeming out of place in this small venue. Regardless, his talent and passion are undeniable. There is something be said for such an entrancing frontman in the Australian indie music scene, where the tall poppies are still too often cut down and understated performances are far more acceptable. Reminiscent of Nick Cave and (to a lesser degree) Antony & The Johnsons, his voice echoed through the room. The rarely seen accompaniment of flute brought yet another point of difference to the set, adding prettiness to the powerful, self-described “chamber-pop”. If you're after something different and exciting, look no further.

The woman of the moment, Ella Hooper, brought her fans a bevy of unreleased material from forthcoming debut album, In Tongues. She is energetic and engaging as she bops around on stage, and her tracks induce toe-tapping and head-nodding across the room.

Hooper's music draws on varied genres, from Middle Eastern to jazz to '90s alt-rock, but remains largely a pop catalogue. It is thus incredibly catchy and looks set to be commercially successful.

Touching on recent personal experiences in her lyrics, Hooper warned the crowd that “it's a heartbreak album” and also, more ominously, to “never cross a songwriter”. Whatever happened, it seems to have worked in her favour and Hooper gave her fans a long-awaited, much appreciated night of new beginnings.