Live Review: Riley Pearce, Teischa Jones, Naomi Dickson

Riley Pearce stole Bunbury hearts as, tonight, he continued his tour in an intimate venue, The Prince of Wales Hotel. Having spent the majority of the first half of this year in America on exchange, the talented 22-year-old singer-songwriter was here promoting his new single, Brave. 

Naomi Dickson was his first support act, performing her own music as well as a cover of Imagine Dragons' Radioactive. Not only did she hit her notes perfectly, but the main appeal of this performance was that it was just her and her guitar, which meant the audience got the chance to hear her emotional lyrics without the need to focus on a band. Pearce's second support act, Teischa Jones, then took the stage with her keyboard and again gave an exceptional lyrical performance with her soothing, soulful sound.

After waiting with much anticipation, the audience's patience was rewarded as Riley Pearce took to the stage with his band, going straight into his first song with no introduction — not that he needed one. Singing his own songs, among them The Long Road and Good To Be Free, Pearce demonstrated his versatility, performing these upbeat songs and then contrasting with his melodic, chilled tunes such as We Are Fools, gripping the audience with his compelling sound. It was evident the singer was having fun on stage while connecting and getting to know his audience, getting everyone involved singing the lyrics of his songs back to him with his inimitable charm.

Going into his newest song, Brave, Pearce showed off his instrumental talent as he started the song with just him and his guitar, then bringing in the electric guitar, bass and drums very lightly, which truly showed off his incredible Ben Howard-like voice, a musician who is quite obviously a big influence on his chilled, indie pop style of music.

There's no doubt Pearce is an extremely talented musician, singer and songwriter. He evidently has all the skills needed to ensure a successful career, especially with his genre of music largely being on his side. His music is quite simply relaxing and almost impossible not to enjoy.