Live Review: Cameron Avery, Slow Dancer

Bluesy guitar hooks matched with an appropriately airy vocal lead when Slow Dancer took to the stage. The three-piece overcame the potential awkwardness of playing to a small crowd by turning their attention inwards, allowing for a dynamically in-sync performance. Singer-songwriter Simon Okely rolled rhythm and lead guitar licks into one, his dexterity a pleasure to observe. Okely repeatedly admitted, "We flew in [from Melbourne] an hour ago and have a flight to catch at ten." If this was an attempt to convey their underlying fatigue, it didn't show in their performance.

With a band of friends and only two tracks of his own released up to this point, Cameron Avery kept audience members surprised and intrigued as he let his lavish and seductive vocal lines steal the show. Looking dapper in a black suit and button-down shirt, Avery placed a lazy hand atop the microphone as he enticed punters with an early taste of Ripe Dreams, Pipe Dreams - his yet-to-be-released album.

The Tame Impala bassist kept things fresh by squeezing in Douse The Lamps, a song from his band The Growl's catalogue, slotted in among his own slow, smooth love ballads. His relaxed onstage persona took shape as he eased into waving arm motions between guitar strums while playing Wasted On Fidelity. His time spent touring with The Last Shadow Puppets last year may have rubbed off on Avery as there seemed to be some signature Alex Turner swagger in his performance.

The latter half of his set saw Avery explode into harmonica riffs, fuzzy guitar solos and piercing vocal wails. Disposable, one of the many tracks from his upcoming album that couples love with heartbreak for its topical focal point, is bolstered by a catchy chorus not dissimilar to the chorus of I Wonder by  Rodriguez. Even more ferocious was his cover of Blind Willie Johnson's 1930 gospel-blues beast John The Revelator. The ex-Pond member finished on a crooning high with C'est Toi but not before allowing attendees to attempt to correctly pronounce the song's title. The responses can only be described as hilariously and typically Australian.