Live Review: Montaigne, Bec Sandridge, Woodes

Melbourne-based artist Woodes (aka Elle Graham) glided onto stage and showcased her earthy, whispery vocals alongside her soft, graceful stage presence. She ended her set with her debut single Daggers & Knives and her latest track The Thaw. A rising star in the indie pop-rock scene, Bec Sandridge catapulted on stage and lit it up with her kooky rock star persona, performing In The Fog, In The Flame and her recent release You're A Fucking Joke to a venue rapidly filling to capacity.

Montaigne walked up to the microphone draped in a wine-coloured velvet robe, starting with I'm A Fantastic Wreck, skipping to and from both sides of the stage to embrace the hands of fans standing in the front row, singing to each individual until the song finished, saying, "I know what you're all thinking - she peaked really fucking early!" She laughed, made jokes and helped put the crowd at ease with her boundless energy, stage presence and animated persona. Before diving into crowd favourite Lonely, she split the two sides of the room straight down the middle, delegating singing roles to both sides while the crowd attempted to sing in unison.

She followed through with Consolation Prize, stepping off the stage to walk through the audience and sing to individual members of the crowd while they watched on, completely entranced. Before ending her set with Because I Love You, she joked about having sold out all her shows with the exception of Wollongong, convincing fans with "friends in Wollongong" to start buying tickets. The crowd, rewarding her with calls for an encore, cheered and applauded until she reappeared on stage with a guitar and a pick for a stunningly stripped-back I Am Not An End and Clip My Wings.