Live Review: Budjerah, RIIKI REID

RIIKI REID (formerly known as RIIKI) just released a new song today (The Dream State) and starts off with it tonight. Her genre-bending mix of alternative pop, indie rock with a bit of grunge and R&B influence is exciting and keeps us on our toes.

Reid does her quirky little happy dance to celebrate finally crossing the border over from New Zealand to be able to play for us, especially considering they still aren’t doing gigs like this over there. She shares a song she wrote called Good Times, which she tells was written coming out of her first lockdown and is somewhat of a silver lining.

Reid’s versatile soulful pop vocal tones combine effortlessly with the different styles she experiments with including a new indie rock song she previews for us that’s her next planned release. Reid captures our attention for all the right reasons and proves that she’s definitely one to watch.

Budjerah has one of those voices that can instantly send shivers down your spine. An old soul with incredible musical talent, there’s no wonder he’s been mentored by fellow Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby. His latest EP Conversations was even produced by Corby and together they have cooked up some of the smoothest and relatable R&B tunes with old-school vibes that make you want to groove along.

This is Budjerah’s first time touring with a band so they’ve really vamped up the live performance of some of his older songs too, including Higher and Pyro. "It’s Good Friday so if it’s alright, I’m gonna take you to church,” he says as he serves up some huge vocal runs for a few gospel soul covers including Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come, Etta James’ At Last, and River by Leon Bridges. He also throws in an impressive cover of The Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, dedicated to the late Michael Gudinski in honour of the support he received from the music legend.

His band leaves for a few solo songs and he really connects with his audience as he opens up about his journey and musical influences. Budjerah is a storyteller and despite being so young, he has so much emotion and honesty to share through his music. He commands our attention with just his guitar in hand and his powerful voice that pours out of him effortlessly with every breath. 

For anyone who doesn’t know his name, they will after tonight. It’s something that he’s struggled with his whole life, having a unique name that’s not the easiest to pronounce. This new song encapsulates this and is all about Budjerah, proud of who he is and where he’s come from. He can’t help but take us to church one last time with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water and we feel absolutely blessed to be in the presence of this heavenly voice that’s destined for big things.