Live Review: Owl Eyes Art Bar

ArtBar is a ridiculously cool series that takes place inside AGWA for a couple of nights a year. In its fourth season and now running consecutively with the Picasso To Warhol exhibition, this year the people of AGWA may have just outdone themselves in awesomeness, if last Thursday night was anything to go by. Upon entering the venue guests were met with an epic set-up in the gallery foyer, including the stage, beautiful coloured lighting, sculpture and, of course, the bar – and one that not only serves alcoholic beverages but also street vendor-inspired food like New York hotdogs. A pretty apt choice of food considering that a quick walk up the spiral staircase in the centre of the room leads you to one of the most exciting exhibitions to ever make it to WA; a collection of works by modern masters sent all the way from MoMA in NYC, and open during the evening for guests of the event to peruse.

Meanwhile, back downstairs the musical entertainment of the evening commenced with Wolves At The Door. A local favourite, these guys had a great performance, particularly considering it was their first gig with a new bassist. Lead singer Ash Hendriks rocked a ruby red guitar that was indicative of the band's sultry style and suited the evening down to a tee. It was only a short set, but it was enough to affirm that there couldn't have been a better choice of support for the lady that took the stage shortly after, Owl Eyes. There's a reason why this singer has been gaining so much popularity of late, and she definitely demonstrated this during the evening. Owl Eyes sung beautifully and her stage presence was vivid and intoxicating, not to mention that she was doing some pretty cool choreography with her arms. The Victorian group's performance was well polished and the sound in the venue was more than adequate. They performed a mix of songs off of their new EP as well as several pretty wow-ish covers, including the popular cover of Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People and an equally rad mash up of Gorillaz and Kelis. Both of the bands were met with much applause from the sell-out audience and the evening wrapped up relatively early, which was rather nice for a school night.