Live Review: Oh Wonder, Tora

The South-east London-based power couple Oh Wonder popped their Adelaide cherry on Wednesday night and dazzled fans at The Gov with a shimmery set of classics.

But first of the evening was Tora, an Australian four-piece electronic band. Accented by live instrumentation and samples, their brand of chillwave is sultry and contemporary. Despite their early timeslot, Tora still put everything into delivering a performance worthy of a full venue. 

Strutting cheerfully onto a deep blue-lit stage, a smiling Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West were greeted with waves and "woo"s from the crowd before them. Accompanied by a bassist and a drummer (who were obscured from view by the density of the lights), Oh Wonder jumped into Livewire, simultaneously igniting the iconic "O.W' sign.

Vander Gucht was magnetic as she danced while playing keys, singing as though confessing something to her audience. Her playfulness came through even during sadder songs like the post-breakup anthem Without You, which had a much more positive feel in this live rendition. Although largely glued to her performance, West actually surprised many in the audience by singing much louder than he is heard on record. He was apt to deliver as strongly as his counterpart, shining in Lifetimes as he delivered the uptempo solo rap, receiving howls of approval for his convincing affection.

Heavy was lesser-known - only obvious because fewer people appeared to know the words - but fantastically infectious. Vander Gucht relentlessly endeavored to wind the crowd up as she pranced behind her keyboard, succeeding as she shouted, "Come on!" right before the crescendo in Lose It.

Impressively, the couple have expertly renovated songs that are known best for their calmness and upgraded them into dance anthems for the live performance. Rather than bastardising the originals, songs like Livewire and Dazzle were played true to the original tone while containing surprising additions of subs and funk that can only be described as 'turnt up'.

This was Oh Wonder's third time in Australia, but the band's first time in Adelaide. In between songs, Vander Gucht and West celebrated the crowd, at one point sharing, "I don't think I've ever played in a venue where I've been this close to the audience!" A sweet reminder to the relatively small crowd that it was a rare treat to see the duo in such an intimate setting, particularly when comparing The Gov to venues like London's O2 or Colorado's famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. 

While in a confessional mood, Vander Gucht and West also mentioned they'd decided to forego a visit to the lovely Hahndorf the day prior, instead opting for a tour of Adelaide's "brothels". Between the local sightseeing and the audience's enthusiasm, the two bandmates expressed they will not be forgetting Adelaide anytime soon.

The last song before the encore and was Landslide, which Vander Gucht preceded with a sentimental, warm message of encouragement and inspiration for her fans. 

Ending the show on a high note, Ultralife was enigmatic, with fluorescent and ultraviolet light punctuating the bright beats of this hit single. Lastly, Drive eventually transitioned into its original indie status as they pulled back on the electronic facelift of this song.

Despite the smaller crowd, the energy of Oh Wonder's performance was not low. Every lyric was sung in unison and with unabashed devotion. Like Vander Gucht and West, the crowd won't forget Oh Wonder's intimate Adelaide visit.