Live Review: The Good Hustle feat. Geoffrey O'Conner, Lost Animal

The Abbotsford Convent's Shadow Electric Bar is warming up Melbourne for a brilliant spring of local music, and the opening night of The Good Hustle Music Salon was the ideal indicator of such promise. At the bar there's ample booze, cheese, crepes, and chocolate, as well as Snakes Alive (turns out they go absurdly well with beer) and throughout the month of November ping pong will be available, according to organisers, across “a generous meterage of tables”.

With a capacity of only 200, the purpose-built stage in the former industrial school at the Convent provides a unique and intimate setting for tonight's acts. Lost Animal lead man Jarrod Quarrell is endlessly intriguing, bearing a resemblance to Ian Curtis of Joy Division with his bizarre on-stage quirks and awkwardly limited dialogue. Lost Animal play tracks from their debut album, Ex Tropical, as well as a handful of new songs, including Do The Jerk. Lost Animal have a knack for producing delicate, addictive melodies that balance wonderfully with Quarell's poignant but jarring lyrics. Tracks such as Say No To Thugs, Old Lovers and Lose The Baby resonate powerfully with the crowd.

Geoffrey O'Connor, frontman for Melbourne four-piece Crayon Fields, is simply irresistible. Deeply rooted in a time passed – most apparently the '80s – but simultaneously attuned to modern sounds and audiences, O'Connor covers much of his debut album, Vanity Is Forever, with a distinct charisma. His tales of heartbreak in Whatever Leads Me To You, which has definite echoes of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game, is particularly memorable. Near the end, O'Connor summons Jessica Says up on stage, the happy couple sharing a slow song and many lustful glances, in which the audience clearly delights.

Blowing a farewell kiss to the crowd, O'Connor paves the way for a bundle of upcoming artists contributing to the eclectic richness of The Good Hustle, including Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, the Cactus Channel, Brous, Teeth & Tongue and World's End Press.