Live Review: Kingswood, WAAX, Maddy Jane

Flying solo, sans band, and armed with just a guitar and a mic, Tasmania's Maddy Jane delivered a confident cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. During her own uplifting single Drown It Out, Jane's sensational, warm vocals resonated through the venue and gained her much applause.

Next up was WAAX. With zero warning, Marie DeVita's familiar screeching filled the venue, the band kicking off with the powerful I For An Eye. DeVita demanded we come down to the front and join her. Energetic tracks Same Same and This Everything were as biting as ever and, although the crowd didn't quite get as rowdy as we (or WAAX) had hoped, they fulfilled their dream of playing Metro Theatre.

Crowd singalongs to Bohemian Rhapsody were cut short as we welcomed Kingswood. Looking For Love silenced the crowd, and was the perfect song to introduce the new and expanded band; quietly alerting us to each new instrument as it built to a climactic close. New track Golden was the first singalong for the night. The full band and exceptional support vocalists were essential in bringing to life the nuanced sounds and styles presented on Kingswood's new record After Hours, Close To Dawn, which was played in full tonight.

Kingswood may have traded in their tough exterior, but they have also levelled up in musical showmanship. And don't worry, they can still shred, as witnessed on Sucker Punch and the charismatic ICFTYDLM.

Crowd-pleaser Ohio was next-level, involving crowd solos plus Fergus Linacre and Alex Laska doing shoeys. Then, just when we thought they were done, Kingswood returned with a golden trio of Medusa, Micro Wars, and Creepin - which they dedicated to Sydney (but not to our lockout laws).