Vera BlueWe make our way along Birrarung Marr, past a giant landmark made out of hundreds of yellow tennis balls and up to the Australian Open Live stage. It's impossible to go hungry with so many food trucks around and bars to fill our cups before we take a seat on the lawn in front of the stage in the sun.
Dean Lewis starts off at the keyboard with his hit song Need You Now from his debut EP Same Kind Of Different. He's been working on a lot of new music, including five fresh songs that he shares with us in this unique outdoor setting. One song in particular is so new that he explains it doesn't even have a name yet! The upbeat tune about dancing in hotel rooms and falling in love is a great addition to his set of heavy, emotional ballads. "So, tennis is cool," Lewis says as he tries to make relatable banter, but quickly digresses with an excellent acoustic cover of Silence (Marshmello featuring Khalid) and the song that he says changed his life: Waves.
The sun starts to set behind the Melbourne city skyline as Vera Blue (aka Celia Pavey) graces us with her presence. She looks absolutely radiant in a sparkly floral dress and metallic Dr Martens. Last year was a pretty special year for Pavey, who released her debut album Perennial from which she shares First Week and Give In to begin. Her music is so heartfelt and honest that we can easily make a strong connection and instantly relate to how she feels. Pavey picks up her guitar and takes us back to where the journey began for this project, with the title track from her first EP Fingertips.
It's a very different kind of gig tonight, but Pavey says she feels the love and the feeling's mutual. As she brings it down for We Used To and Overachiever, Pavey wows us with an incredible high note that makes our hearts melt. Pavey's vocal runs are flawless. "Lady Powers is dedicated to all the sportswomen that have come here to represent their countries and do their thing at the Australian Open," she says, adding, "Who's your favourite tennis player?" An audience member shouts her name and Pavey laughs. "I used to play a bit of tennis until I whacked myself in the face and then I never went back," Pavey jokes. We're glad she stuck with music instead.
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Pavey whips her long red locks around and commands us to dance to an electro-pop section of the show featuring Private and Slumberjack's Fracture (featuring Vera Blue). Both are excellent additions to the set to liven things up and keep people up on their feet. Her triple j Like A Version cover of Jack Garratt's Breathe Life is absolutely stunning. Mended is Pavey's final serve and brings her to her knees as she uses every last ounce of breath.
The live music comes to an end, but there's still plenty of time to catch some tennis on the nearby courts.
