Live Review: Sui Zhen, Sad, Punko

Disappointingly, we arrive as Punko is bringing down the house with her final song for the night. The small number of punters who arrived early seem delighted by her set and cheer enthusiastically. As it turns out Punko is the solo project of Sui Zhen's bass player, Liv Jansz. She is playing one of her first Punko shows but it seems that we can expect to hear plenty more from her.

Melbourne duo SaD offer an excursion into '80-styled post-punk and synth-pop. Daphne Camf from NOZU fronts SaD, dealing gothic darkness in her lyrics. Meanwhile, Simona Castricum programs insistent beats and bass-heavy synth noise that growls with a certain intensity in the mix. Castricum also plays guitar, riffing on licks from the Joy Division/New Order playbook. Moving beyond '80 nostalgia, SaD deliver regret and heartbreak to the bounce of a tear-stained dancefloor. The duo have plenty of material up their sleeve, moving through a large number of songs in quick succession.

A sizeable crowd assembles in the bandroom to catch tonight’s headliner. Sui Zhen is very much Becky Freeman’s project but tonight she launches her latest album, Losing, Linda, with the assistance of a band. The swirl of synths on the album sees Casey Hartnett and Andrew Noble playing synths and electronic percussion, and Freeman can’t speak highly enough of Jansz’ work as Punko and the bass playing skill she brings to her band. Freeman also plays keys for most of the set but picks up her guitar every now and then.

Losing, Linda opener Another Life kicks off the show and this is followed quickly by Natural Progression. The soft-pop vibe of the album is preserved across the live, extended versions of these songs, even though everything has been amped up a notch. On record Freeman’s coo is intimate but live her voice has a cool, clear and powerful presence.

At times she works an android line of thinking, but there is so much soul to Freeman's songs that everything feels very human. There is, however, a deep tension between artificial and natural worlds across many of these songs and, consequentially, the surreal vibe of a Lynchian dream hangs in the air. The titular heroine of the piece, Linda, comes to life and makes an appearance with the band tonight. Wearing a latex mask and a wig that makes her look like Freeman, she appears creepily behind Freeman during the show. At times Linda looks like another version of Freeman who has escaped from a supernatural horror flick.

Being A Woman, Freeman’s ode to gender and sexuality, is the highlight of tonight’s set. Perfect Place is a lusciously dreamy way of bringing down tonight’s Losing, Linda showcase and it blends perfectly with the experimental synth whirr of two unreleased songs, both of which sink deep into the sadness of heartbreak.