Live Review: Emma Louise, Thelma Plum, Patrick James

A rowdy Friday night crowd fills The Hi-Fi early as tonight's supports attempt to cut through the chatter. The simple acoustic charm of Sydney singer/songwriter Patrick James is given a slight alt-country vibe accompanied by Scott Steven on banjo, and the pair turn heads with a slow, beautiful version of Bon Iver's For Emma. The title track of James' debut EP All About To Change shows an ease of delivery found in the likes of Josh Pyke; the youngster has an uncomplicated yet spirited grasp on melody which is admirable.

Thelma Plum displays a confidence belying her years that permeates every element of her performance tonight – the effortless high notes of Breathe In Breathe Out, the cheerful refrain of her “La-di-da – fuck you” chorus of Around Here, her Australian vowels and the handling of audience interaction throughout the upbeat toe-tapper Dollar. Accompanied on keys, guitar and backing vocals by Andrew Lowden, the pair make Chris Isaak's Wicked Game truly their own in a set that wins over a restless crowd.

As the curtains open to reveal an intimate stage lighting of paper lanterns, Emma Louise introduces 17 Hours with a haunting a capella beginning alongside the complementary and always just-right backing vocals of keyboardist Hannah Sheppard. In Mirrors the songstress reveals a star quality that makes it difficult to focus on anyone else for the majority of the set; fingerless gloves, big hair, loud tights and a tailored jacket could well place her as an '80s pop icon, though one more focused on a performance of considered beauty rather than vocal acrobatics. Cages is a hands-down highlight – amidst a soundscape of subtle beats and programming, Emma Louise navigates an intricate melody both mournful and arresting, increasing in volume to perfectly coincide with the growing sounds of Graham Ritchie's bass key notes that enter through the feet and reverberate all around the body. There's a good energy throughout crowd favourite Boy as Emma Louise smiles at her friends in the full-house hometown show, while a fast-paced Jungle elicits a dramatic ending highlighting the frantic drumming of Danny Ogilvie and delicate guitar work of Mikey Sheehan. Solo, Emma Louise brings all to the verge of tears with a moving rendition of longing in 1000 Sundowns, sending everyone's moods soaring again as her band move into the seemingly effortless groove of Alt-J's Tesolate. Shunning the entrenched though somewhat redundant habit of encores as “silly”, Freedom makes for a fitting finale as Emma Louise asks an obliging audience to provide lighting duties with their phones while she sings of weekend pleasures and caps off a truly enchanting evening.