Live Review: Husky, Elana Stone

As is often the case, the audience is initially small and restless, but it takes approximately 2.5 seconds of Elana Stone's vocals to lull everyone into an awed silence. Relatively unknown in these parts of town, no one knows quite what to expect of this pocket rocket who so bravely stands in front of her stage, singing a capella straight to the people in her banana swimsuit and stripey tights. For future reference, what you should expect from Stone is witty songwriting about relatable events, and a delivery that teeters somewhere between heart-warming and uplifting. Her tunes are chin-up tunes and faces are covered in grins. She brings a Brisbanite friend on stage to play the tambourine, but other than this nod to our city she plays entirely solo. It's an impressive effort as she jumps from piano to guitar and accordion in a frenzied (but never faltering) pink and yellow blur. She sings of love found, and lost (the same person, we discover, in one of many moments of well-received candidness), and by the end of her set the audience feels like it has made a friend.

There is a surprise surge in people the moment Husky take the stage. The only thing that varies more than the age range of the audience is the collective vocal range of the band (that is to say, both are surprisingly huge). The boys are quiet before they start to play: as soon as the songs begin, however, it is a different story, with songs that soar right into the very ceiling of the Old Museum. It can be hard to overcome the school-hall vibe of this venue but they manage it, proving their skills.

Husky open with their popular Tidal Wave and follow with a set that threatens to blur into one harmonious and melancholy whole. This similarity between songs doesn't seem to bother fans, nor upset the mood of the night, as more of the same brings enthusiastic applause, including a standing ovation and a riotous call for an encore after a Leonard Cohen tribute. The standout of the night is without doubt a solo effort by Husky Gawenda called Wolfman, but the biggest surprise is to be had when the spotlight shines on pianist, Gideon Preiss. Alert somebody – this band are holding a genuine Liberace hostage in the form of this young indie guy.