Live Review: Khalid, Ruel

M-Phazes' teenage protege Ruel confirms his status as Australia's next big thing. Despite having only released two official singles to date, Ruel is not short of confidence as he performs a collection of addictive, R&B-influenced tunes showcasing his smooth vocals. Covers of Jack Garrett's Weathered and John Legend's Who Did That To You spice things up before the 14-year-old ends with the soulful Don't Tell Me.

There's a buzz in the air as young fans push their way to the front of stage for a glimpse of the main act. It's getting rather cramped so someone emerges from backstage and tells everyone to "take half a step back" and "play safe, play nice". It works for a few minutes before the lights go down and Khalid's name flashes on the giant screens. The roar is deafening as our second teenage sensation of the night appears and bursts into the aptly titled American Teen, the audience singing and dancing along for the entire song. Even the seated areas are up on their feet, dancing and clapping with enthusiasm. The crowd participation continues for most of the night, with Let's Go, Another Sad Love Song and the throbbing 8Teen sung by Khalid but also featuring additional vocals from the Melbourne audience.

Khalid sports a huge smile that's as irresistible and infectious as his soulful vocals. He serenades all sections of the crowd and wears the expression of someone who can't believe this is what they do for a living. Two dancers wearing cheerleader outfits perform choreographed routines and, along with the theatrical light show and big-screen visuals, add a highly entertaining visual element to Khalid's performance. His smile disappears when an acoustic rendition of Hopeless ends abruptly after Khalid spots someone flipping him off. "I'm going to keep singing, because that's what I do. If you don't like it you shouldn't be here," Khalid states angrily before resuming the performance with sombre track, Cold Blooded. The low-key Angels is dedicated to one of his friends who passed away earlier in the week. The crowd show their support for the 19-year-old by waving their phones high in the air, illuminating the entire venue. Khalid's smile finally returns during Silence, his upbeat dance collaboration with producer friend Marshmello that sees the mainly teenage audience go nuts.

"This is the song that changed my life forever," Khalid expresses before the groovy Location. He disappears off stage to another huge round of applause and then returns for two more songs, the Calvin Harris collab Rollin and the track everyone's been waiting to hear, Young Dumb & Broke. As red, white and blue confetti explodes over the crowd during this song's final chorus, Khalid solidifies himself as R&B's most interesting and charismatic performer since Frank Ocean.