Live Review: What So Not, Chrome Sparks, Kota Banks

What So Not has emerged as one of the top producers in Australia and arguably emerged from the shadow of former partner Flume, who had to leave to further his massive career.

A super confident Kota Banks sporting sunnies and a silver jacket rocked the stage early in the night with her R&B pop. There's nothing overly original in her sound, but her voice is great and the production is slick and polished. With great stage presence, pumping background and good vocals there's a strong chance we see a lot more of her into the future.

New York producer Chrome Sparks (real name Jeremy Malvin) uses a combination of intricate and almost cinematic sounds underpinned by measured rhythms. There's something beautiful and flowing about his arrangements. The rich atmospheric sounds really filled the room. As the set wore on the momentum changed throughout, going from machine gun rapid-fire drum rolls to pulsing ambient loops. It's a pity the tiered levels of HQ meant very few people were near the front for his set. Nevertheless, with a wide-ranging repertoire and a superb command of production, Malvin was a delightful producer to watch at the height of his game.

Chris Emerson, aka What So Not is one of the most significant recent Australian producers and his vibrant elevated stage set-up certainly reflected this. The huge visuals were impactful and the various colours and patterns helped overcompensate for the fact that really, the show was just a man with an array of electronic equipment. He did have a live guitarist, although the impact of the guitar wasn't always audible depending on where you were in the venue and in all felt a bit redundant, albeit for one part where he sang.

Better sounded huge near the start and the crowd reaction to it was great. Stuck In Orbit, perhaps his best composition, also sounded great, although he could have played more of it given how much radio airplay it has received on triple j, or perhaps finished on it. He rolled through a range of his best tracks including Feel It, High You Are and Beautiful before he dropped Divide & Conquer with its epic trap hook. Gemini provided another great live rendition and one of the highlights of the night.

With the exquisite visuals, the fantastic live sound and the enthusiastic reaction from the all-ages HQ crowd, tonight's show was certainly one of the highlights of winter so far.