Live Review: Vera Blue, Thandi Phoenix, Lakyn

Vera Blue blew her adoring audience away with those glass-shattering vocals in the visually spectacular Odeon Theatre.

By the time the first support act took the stage, the Odeon Theatre was already awash with excited Hobartians. Lakyn Heperi's seductive blend of electronic R&B was the ideal opener, with an impressive collection of emotional covers and innovative original pieces. View Looks So Good took his largely unfamiliar audience aback. The singer-songwriter from New Zealand earned many a sensible head nod, alternating between stirring falsetto and repeating soulful lilts. Unaccompanied, Heperi's nasal groove complemented the bubbling electronic production well, silky and honest. Shaking the label of reality show talent, Heperi debuted a wonderful single West, which is sure to get traction, showing off the maturity of his new material with bluesy harmonising and intimate lyrics ("I wish you could see what I see in you").

Moving from soul to rhythm, Thandi Phoenix won over the rising crowd immediately with irrepressible energy. Her recent single Standing Too Close lifted the crowd into motion, with a drum and bass influence that had people dipping and bouncing. It carried a message close to the artist's heart, "every move we make is like drowning". Phoenix jumped and span around the stage, beaming, clearly loving the opportunity to share her art. The syrupy sweet My Way tapped into an empowering pop message, but fell a little flat. Meanwhile, her Like A Version cover of Day 'N' Nite hit the spot with thunderous bass and rich electronica. On her unreleased material, Phoenix shared that she "wanted to bring the noises back with [her] from South Africa". The bright, tribal synths and drums were a clear highlight; dozens of audience members raised their phone torchlights, making for a scenic conclusion to the set.

Vera Blue's live presence can only be described as performance art, adorned with flowers, filled with vibrant colour and alive with movement. Greeted with a rapturous cheer from the crowd, the artist launched into her first power-pop hit, backlit by a flood of blue and green lights. Impressive multi-instrumentalists, the four-piece pounded on drum lights as lead Celia Pavey crooned beautiful vocal sections, beating her heart with her fist. Worshipped by a sea of raised arms, Pavey floated around the stage, pirouetting, as she delivered spirals of triumphant high notes in Settle. The vocalist looked otherworldly, a silhouette engulfed in pulsing yellow light.

Pavey revealed little about the songs' meanings, describing the tracks as being about "fantasies and crushes". That minimalism complemented her candid songwriting perfectly, and the crowd emptied their lungs into each chorus in Hold. The artist span about the floor against deep red, and collapsed to the floor, her loose fitting clothing falling about her. She then rose to rapturous applause as the light faded.

Towards the conclusion of the set, Pavey launched swathes of roses into the crowd, and people clamoured to catch them. As she broke into a slow-burning ballad, many people swayed about with pink and white roses in hand. Pavey thanked the crowd for "letting [her] be vulnerable and emotional" with them, and then proceeded to light up the stage with fierce, empowering tracks like Lady Powers with incredible lyrics, "I'm not gonna beg for your respect/I won't be defined by your eyes." Anyone in the crowd who wasn't already fan had certainly been converted.