Live Review: Gallant, Ruel

Playing his first official live show at the tender age of 14, Ruel is a real find with a bright future ahead. The protege of legendary Aussie producer M-Phazes, Ruel possesses a spectacular voice rivalling many of his older contemporaries. Reminiscent of Daniel Merriweather, Ruel powers through a striking set of dreamy R&B-filtered pop tunes. Debut single Golden Years is the clear standout and sure to be a triple j staple over the coming weeks as Ruel's profile grows.

One of the most overlooked albums of 2016 was Bluesfest artist Gallant's Ology. Steeped in modern R&B vibes, neo-soul soundscapes and anchored by Gallant's expressive and passionate vocals, hearing the American bring the album to life in a live setting is pure bliss. The slinky Open Up ushers Gallant on stage and he's met by a surprising amount of screams from a large number of female fans up front. Expansive in his vocal range and expressive with jittery hand gestures, Gallant twists and turns about the stage, his voice easily reaching the far corners of the venue as his arms flail about. The melancholy electronica of Jupiter follows before Gallant truly lets rip on the crunching Bone + Tissue. His falsetto is absolutely mind-numbing, soaring above his band's instruments and touching the pits of our stomachs. At times it's hard to imagine Gallant is of this earth, as there are few goose bump-raising voices like his in the current scene.

Gallant instils Bourbon with a sparkling energy, while Talking To Myself features a wicked guitar riff and Miyazaki channels old school soul flavours. A cover of Foo Fighters' Learn To Fly turns the rock anthem into a stripped-back vocal number, Gallant's vocals understated over the delicate playing of his band. Keyboardist DANiiVORY fills in for Jhene Aiko on the male/female duet Skipping Stones, nailing her vocal part and providing blissful harmonies alongside Gallant's ferocious falsetto. As his performance continues, Gallant's vocals improve even further with each song. The bluesy Episode and handclap-sampling Shotgun are evidence of this, hitting all the right notes as he delivers a phenomenal display that's dripping with intensity and passion. Weight In Gold is the obvious choice to end the evening, with the crowd's karaoke effort applauded by Gallant as he leaves it all on the stage one last time. The future of R&B is here and his name is Gallant.