Live Review: Melodie Nelson, Sarah Mary Chadwick, Circular Keys

Circular Keys are hard to ignore, mainly because they are ear-splitting loud. They start off with an ethereal number, but this, and the remainder of their set, is hard to appreciate due to the volume.

Sarah Mary Chadwick's weary drawl is an acquired taste and while the former Batrider frontwoman's gloomy and nakedly honest musings aren't without their charm, they do render her inclusion on tonight's bill surprising given the tone of the other bands. Nonetheless, the rawness of her performance is unwittingly entrancing and draws the audience in, not that she seems to notice as she hides behind her hair. Her cover of The Beatles' Long, Long, Long is an unusual-but-inspired choice that suits her low tones. While it can be a dangerous move to cover a song by such a legendary band, it's one of their lesser-known ones and Chadwick somehow manages to give it her own flavour while remaining faithful to the original.

As Sydneysider Lia Tsamoglou, the talent behind Melodie Nelson (the name under which she performs), and her band start their set, we immediately notice they bear an uncanny resemblance to socialist electro/lounge/pop stalwarts Stereolab. They resemble librarians/art teachers and Tsamoglou and co are here to launch second album, To The Dollhouse. Cherry Cherry eases the audience into the mood nicely and while Tsamoglou played the majority of the instruments on the album herself, her band step up and do a damn fine job translating the material for live performance.

The majority of tonight's set consists of tracks from the album Tsamoglou is launching including Six, Six, Six (for which she enlists the help of Crayon Fields frontman Geoffrey O'Connor), and Spin The Bottle. Also included are Tonight and Colours Of My Dreams from her first album, Meditations On The Sun. With only one single – the beautiful Martha – released from To The Dollhouse so far (it's very early days for the album), it's a surprise to hear it as early in the set as we do, but there are no complaints. Its haunting keyboard hook, melancholy lyrics and lullaby-esque melody captivate the small-but-very appreciative audience.

Tsamoglou proves herself to be a charming frontwoman who has a strong set of songs under her belt, making a night out with her and her band a wonderful time.