Live Review: Wafia, Banoffee, MAY-A

Tonight’s gig at 170 Russell is a prelude to a long weekend, providing the opportunity to shake off travails of the working week and get your head into that weekend state of mind. 

Still a teenager, MAY-A impresses with her selection of wistfully reflective and heartbroken tunes. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times but strangely melancholy vibes are a common theme across all three of tonight’s sets. If they are trying to teach us anything amid messages about the importance of independence and understanding self-worth, it’s the ol' 'what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger' that features heavily. Cuts like Fools Paradise and All Girls Aren’t The Same win the hearts of the small crowd who got here early.

Banoffee laments that it's been a year since she spent some quality time with her hometown fans. Touring with the likes of Charli XCX and Taylor Swift, it's fair to say that Banoffee has aspirations that are taking her far away from Melbourne. Her songs work similar territory to MAY-A but she amps it up a notch or two, with more focus on bounce and delivering a good time for fans. She still acknowledges those melancholic undertones, admitting it’s a break-up set, but the crowd love it and cheer for more.

Bounding onto the stage with a confident smile, Wafia knows how to charm her fans. Tonight’s show hits plenty of feel-good notes with a set comprised of all her best-known and loved songs. Almost instantly there are plenty of hands in the air while many fans sing along to each song in the set.

Wafia @ 170 Russell. Photo by Tim Doig.

Wafia largely picks up where MAY-A and Banoffee leave off but as the show starts with Heartburn, she produces a more uplifting, almost euphoric vibe in the room. There's no doubting that in the four or so years that she has been on the scene, Wafia has come a very long way in a relatively short period of time. Playing with a drummer and a keys player who is surrounded by synths, the sound coming through the stacks is thick and booming. Visibly touched by the crowd's affection for her music, Wafia chokes up and sheds a few happy tears. It's this kind of genuine emotion that connects Wafia with her fans. 

Wafia @ 170 Russell. Photo by Tim Doig.

Wafia indicates that the reason she has been flying a little under the radar lately is because her debut album is in the works. As the night progresses cuts like Bodies and a cover of Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors have fans in conniptions. I’m Good brings down the night on a resolute high.