Live Review: Katie Noonan, Brian Campeau

Brian Campeau opened his act by engaging in a little awkward banter with the crowd, with the whole, 'Hello Sydney, great to be here!' spiel just going on for way.too.long. Alone on stage, Campeau – whose voice is akin to a slightly less controlled José González, drifting into a kind of soft tremulous yodel – saw his thoughtful, delicate sound the ideal thing to prepare the red carpet for the spectacular Katie Noonan.

Katie Noonan, tonight accompanied by a string quartet, was truly a sight to behold, her screaming bright orange hair tied into messy coifs that fell down upon her shoulders as she sat serenely behind a grand piano. Interrupting the reserved cheers and claps from the crowd, Noonan whispered into the mic, “G'day Sydney, how are you?” before clearing her throat, letting out a small sigh and falling into her songs. Noonan is one of those rare performers who may be entertaining a group of hundreds, but her voice and delivery is so gentle and measured it feels like it's really just you, her and the grand.

Touching upon songs from her career, including her time as george frontwoman, Noonan enveloped and captured the audience, even managing to silence the chinking from the passing wine glasses momentarily. The songstress called Campeau back on stage for a brief duet, but it was still all Noonan, her sultry chords overlapping Campeau's, while the delicious hum of the strings cradled her voice across the crowd.

Not many artists these days can boast such a mix of fans ranging from nannas and pops to tweens – and even fewer possess the power to keep them transfixed for nearly two hours. But then again, Katie Noonan has never been like any other artist and she well and truly proved that tonight.