Live Review: Montaigne, Eilish Gilligan, HANDSOME

Starting with No Cowards, HANDSOME made sure to set the tone for the set and, in turn, the night. The bass-y electro track is about not being afraid to be yourself, empowerment and identity - a common theme from all three artists on the bill. A new track, called either 'Too Easy' or 'Delete You' (I vote for the latter), was a beautifully unifying song.

"They're not all about love," admitted singer Caitlin Park, who shared the stage with talented multi-instrumentalist Shanna Watson, before singing 'angry' song, TV Set. Ultimately, however, it was about love - the love in the room for an artist that promotes it, provides it and certainly received it. 

Eilish Gilligan made a splash with SMFY last year, and has since proved that she's got a lot more in the kit bag with three more killer singles. She started the set with Patterns and her stage presence was immediately obvious. For anyone that hasn't seen her live before, but loves her music anyway, be prepared for your crush to amplify. Her alternative style of music and strong voice grabbed the growing Factory Theatre crowd’s attention. 

The alt-pop beats are eclectic, as is her dancing and stage presence. The Pull, a gut-wrenching ballad, which Gilligan performed on keyboard, was a touching highlight showing off her impressive diversity, however slightly marred by the overly chatty audience. 

Keep Up saw the beat speed up before last song, SMFY. It's was joyful set that could definitely benefit from a full sound in time, but there's much to admire from the burgeoning and exciting Melburnian talent. 

The return of Montaigne is one of the most anticipated events on the 2019 Australian music calendar. After the breakthrough debut EP of 2014, followed by her debut album two years later plus a presence that demands your attention, fans are champing at the bit for new material from Jessica Cerro. This show seemingly marked the start of the next chapter and there were a few changes.

Being joined by a full band and an impressive stage and lighting set-up was just the beginning. As Cerro entered - to the strain of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Linus & Lucy - we were impressed with her glittery red all-in-one outfit and fairy floss-pink hair. Later described as an “homage to David Bowie”, it certainly stood out and the headset microphone allowed freedom to dance elastically around the stage to opening track, Glorious Heights.

“We’re trying new things!” said an excited Cerro, gesturing to everything on the stage before delivering older cut, I’m A Fantastic Wreck, complete with histrionic bangs of percussion. The track was - for the first, but certainly not last, time of the night - an example of the precise control and sheer power of her voice.

Splitting the crowd down the middle, we were asked to contribute to Lonely. “The advanced singers should move to the left!” chuckled Cerro as she sang the parts we were meant to contribute. The result is quite stunning, despite the crowd attempts not quite reaching the levels on stage.

With the band departing for the middle of the set, we were treated to some unforgettable moments. If we thought that the performance of A Cinematic Plea To An End on acoustic guitar was impressive, or the solo performance on piano of Consolation Prize was heartbreakingly beautiful, the best was yet to come. 

We were warned early in the night that there would only be a couple of new songs in the set, one being the single of the tour. The second was more of a surprise. Prefacing the song was a tale of how it was written - a personal story of body image, confidence, a dodgy ex-boyfriend and a Nick Cave concert - what followed was an a capella version of 'Is This All I’m Good For', a track from her, as yet, un-named upcoming album. You could hear a pin drop as the theatre was captured by the awe-inspiring rendition. It was a moment to cherish and the extended applause at the end was testament to the appreciation.

The rest of the set was a celebration of the personality, ability and charisma of the singer. Latest single For Your Love, like many of her songs, is not an easy song to sing live, but Cerro made even In The Dark's vocal acrobatics seem easy.

With our ears still filled with final song, Till It Kills Me, Cerro stopped at the edge of stage, quietly taking it all in. As the crowd roared in appreciation, we got the feeling we’d witnessed something historic. The metamorphosis of Montaigne has entered another stage - the show was the beginning of something special and excitingly unknown. Her performance will go down as one of the best concerts of the year, without a doubt, and we were lucky to bear witness to the chrysalis.