Live Review: Alex Lloyd, Tommy Castles

The barefooted Tommy Castles impresses with a collection of melodic, indie tinged folk tunes despite a rather small turn out. Thankful for those who've made the effort to be early, Castles dazzles with a sound flirting between the pop stylings of Vance Joy and the homegrown roots of John Butler. A cover of Paul Kelly's Dumb Things gets applause but his set ending reworking of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army - complete with harmonica and frantic strumming - leaves the generally elderly crowd confused but appreciative.

By the time Alex Lloyd arrives on stage looking like he's come straight from the pub in an open blue shirt and trainers, the venue is, disappointingly, only half full. While some might've taken offence, Lloyd shows no signs of concern as he sips red wine and informs the crowd for the first time ever he's playing two sets with an intermission in between. The first half is a mixture of Lloyd's most well-known material spanning his two-decade career. Brand New Day, Beautiful and Easy Exit Station feature, but it's tracks from his seminal debut Black The Sun that get the biggest cheers. Three individuals in particular are in good voice as they sing along during What A Year. My Way Home is a master class in Lloyd's powerful vocals and Lucky Star sees one adventurous woman wander to the front and perform some interesting dance moves before Lloyd departs for the interval.

Lloyd's voice is stunning and the acoustic setting gives him the chance to flex his range, even though he admits to being a little under the weather. Along with his superior vocal display, the intimate surroundings highlight Lloyd's tremendous songwriting ability. The Sydneysider is often overlooked for his lyrical cohesiveness when it comes to great Australian songwriters but he gets nothing but love from the Melbourne crowd, particularly when Watching Angels Mend cuts Everybody's Laughing and Green arrive during the second set. Moving from wine to a double Jameson on the rocks, Lloyd's in high spirits as he attempts to take a couple of requests. He manages to get through a verse from Burn (a song he claims not to have played since 2003) and Bring It On before refocusing his energy with Slow Train. Lloyd's cover of Hallelujah is even more haunting in real life and brings the venue to a standstill before Coming Home restores the energy. Downtown and Bus Ride lead to closer Amazing, complete with crowd sing along before Lloyd leaves the stage and is ambushed by fans wanting selfies - his legacy still going strong.