Vera BlueKira Puru starts us off with her huge voice and dynamic style. For anyone who hasn't heard her latest song Tension, it's bound to be stuck in their heads long after tonight's show as we groove along with her catchy pop and grungy bass lines.
It's somewhat of a homecoming for local Brunswick artist Alice Ivy (christened Annika Schmarsel), who brings loads of energetic vibes to build the excitement. Schmarsel tells us she's feeling a bit dehydrated from the 15 dumplings she consumed before coming on stage before sipping some water and removing her jacket as the room begins to heat up with her funky beats. She freaks things up a bit with her radioactive samples and we get down and boogie with Schmarsel after the big drop at the end of her party-starting anthem Get Me A Drink.
The massive split-level stage comes to life during the explosive entrance of Vera Blue (aka Celia Pavey). This is by far one of the biggest productions she's ever put on and they're clearly pulling out all stops. A three-piece band is positioned above Pavey, leaving plenty of room for her to move around and dance freely as she tilts her head forward and shakes her long red her around to the electronic beats during Magazine and Give In. Pavey graced this stage supporting Broods in 2016 and now she's performing the first of two sold-out headline shows here. There's no doubt Pavey's come a long way and continues to push the limits of her live set, which is flawlessly executed.
Moving in and out of the chapters from Vera Blue's debut album Perennial and her Fingertips EP, we see different sides of Pavey's personality. Pavey picks up her acoustic guitar to perform some of her more intimate tracks including Hold, which is the song Pavey tells us started the project. "These songs helped me recognise the inner strength I didn't know I had," she reveals. Her vocal delivery is extraordinary, especially those high falsetto runs during quieter moments when the crowd is completely captivated.
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Pavey goes one step further for a huge encore finish with crowd-favourite Lady Powers. Kira Puru joins in to serve up a quick rap alongside Schmarsel, Woodes (Melbourne-based producer/singer-songwriter Elle Graham) plus other talented ladies who fill the stage to dance and celebrate. We throw our arms up and reach out to try and catch one of the red roses that are thrown into the crowd to commemorate this special moment.
