Live Review: Amy Shark @ Festival 18

Undeterred by the torrential rain, Amy Shark's ability to capture an entire audience's attention is nothing short of impressive. Her performance as part of the Commonwealth Games 2018 Festival is her first time back on the Gold Coast, where she grew up, after a few months touring in minus 10 temperatures. "It's good to be back," she tells the crowd and her return is certainly welcome as they hoot and holler.

She opens with Drive You Mad, a mellow song with strong percussion and electronic influences, reflecting the laid-back atmosphere of the audience. Following this was another popular song from her Night Thinker EP called Home. This transitions into Spits On Girls - a slightly more intense version than originally on the release through the presence of her electric guitar, fitting perfectly with the powerful drums and keyboard played by Joe Malafu and Brad Hosking.

The electricity in the crowd begins to amplify when Blood Brothers is played, a song that has rocketed into the public eye thanks to a number of electronic-pop elements. The pace quickly changes when she introduces Middle Of The Night, a song she suggests is not for the broken-hearted. Each lyric of this highly underrated song drips with a sense of remorse and a feeling of loss.

Excitement is quickly regained when she announces that she's playing an unreleased song, Leave Us Alone. The solo, carried through by her acoustic guitar and highly raw and stripped vocals, is met with a resounding approval from everyone. Despite the slightly slower tempo it clearly has no negative effects and further enraptures the audience. The tone and style are something not yet heard from Shark and perhaps an indication of things to come.

During the show, it's clear from her expressions of disbelief the gratefulness she holds, so it's no surprise that she constantly reiterates this up until her very last song. "This is the best place to be," she tells the crowd before launching into her single Weekends, the mood shifting slightly to take a more upbeat turn. The powerful bass causes the crowd to quickly forget the rain and cold as they dance and sing the lyrics back to Shark.

Finally, mega-hit Adore, an obvious and well-chosen track to close her concert and begin the games. The bass and beat evident in nearly all of her songs creates a dynamic contrast against her smooth vocals. The emotion held throughout every song is a delight to experience, especially in her song Deleted, and her ability to faultlessly change the timbre of her voice is a dynamic quality that gives a glimpse future potential in the industry. Not only this, but her infectious personality, entertaining anecdotes and lively dancing light up the stage, leaving the soaked and shivering spectators breathless yet buzzing.