Live Review: Patrick Wolf, Brous

With curtains drawn over the windows, all doors to the main floor closed and the room stuffed tight with chairs, The Tivoli has been transformed into the intimate and romantic theatre that it was built to be. It's the perfect setting to experience a short but captivating set from Melbourne enchantress Sophia Brous. Assisted by a multi-instrumentalist pairing predominantly playing piano and a contra-alto clarinet, the singer lets herself go, filling the room with her huge vocals while holding a strong pose to the right of the two gentlemen. Breaking up tracks such as Southern Belle and triple j favourite Streamers with freestyle Spanish interludes complete with body percussion, the 30-minute slot plays out like the soundtrack to a Tarantino film.

The turnout is still pretty dire when Patrick Wolf takes to the stage, and although there is a brief sadness in his eyes when he looks at the mass of empty seats filling the balcony, the Brit quickly gets down to business and proves to be the consummate entertainer. Wearing large platform shoes, Wolf is dressed like a street-wise Peter Pan, his puffy green top adorned with gold chains and large pendants. A range of small and peculiar instruments scatter the stage while off-kilter footage staggers in the background like home movies skipping on a loop. Wolf's voice is powerful and his musicianship is humbling to say the least. No matter what he grabs – harp, piano, guitar – he seems completely at home, and his elfish partner for the evening, Quinta, is equally adept, switching between keys, violin and more. On this run of dates Wolf is stripping back his unique, almost mystical pop and leaving it vulnerable and raw, with the setlist a rough timeline of his ten-year career. Cocking his head, he strikes a wide-legged pose early and strums a stern Hard Times, while on Paris a looped drumbeat is set off before piano and violin dance harmoniously. It's not until Wolf introduces Oblivion that he really interacts with the crowd, and it's a welcomed exchange, especially for the enamoured first few rows. After the ice is broken he continues to punctuate the evening with funny anecdotes, confessionals and whimsical banter. He talks of low-season resort town songwriting before Wind In The Wires and gay marriage equality with a passionate Bermondsey Street. Then after a musical saw-led Theseus and a clap-heavy The Magic Position, the pair remove themselves briefly before returning for a colourful encore made up by a gripping Vultures and a celebratory The City. Whether he was casting good spells or bad ones, the magic that Wolf created this evening was consuming and showcased a truly one-of-a-kind artist.