Live Review: Julia Holter, Ducktails, Caitlin Park

For an evening of experimental pop, there really couldn't have been a better opener than Sydneysider Caitlin Park. Ostensibly folk music, Park elevated her performance to another level through the addition of some dreamy and layered loops and beats courtesy of a sample pad and pedals. Even without these accoutrements, Park's compositional brilliance, Leonard Cohen-reminiscent guitar work and passionate vocals shone through. She is truly a local to watch out for. Accompanying Holter out from the States was Matt Mondanile, aka Ducktails. Tonight playing in solo mode, Mondanile filled out the sounds with a collection of beats and pre-recorded grooves. Despite being one man with a guitar, minimal is hardly a word suitable to his performance, which built layer atop layer of shoegazey sounds, relaxed dream pop aesthetics and neo-psychedelic guitar work. Whilst at times very Slowdive-reminiscent and brilliant, the uniformly relaxed pace of the set would perhaps be better suited to a full band. Julia Holter is a critical darling, so it was beautifully inauspicious to have her come out and endearingly, awkwardly chat about marching band popularity in New York and what it's like playing in a church. Musically though she was all business. Her records are so sensual and immaculate it's easy to forget the human touch – not so live, where her band's interactions and her own powerful yet tender vocals serve as a statement on the power of connecting with art. Her band, as incredible as they were at colouring the space between vocals with experimental pop jazz, were really playing second fiddle to Holter herself; her beautiful voice and playful piano are quintessentially modern yet timeless. The entire show, whether grooving around apocalyptic dance notes or haunting the proverbial belfry, was incredible. The results seemed so effortless only because she, and her group, were so grand.