Too lazy to get your arse out of the couch? check out what you missed here

If anybody was expecting a folksy onslaught of novelty pop, punctuated by loopy theatricality dosed up on red cordial, they were in the right place. Said place being Amplifier Bar, and the energetic rigmarole of which we speak? The luminous Kate Miller-Heidke and her musical contingent. Sparing readers the tired references to Alice in Wonderland, Miller-Heidke’s second studio album Curiouser is most recently spawn to the single Caught In The Crowd, facilitating the current national tour. Supported by up-and-comers Skipping Girl Vinegar, this Thursday evening looked set to shit all over a late-night stroll at the Galleria, Carousel & co.

First to pound the skins were Melbourne’s Skipping Girl Vinegar, an irresistibly buoyant quartet sporting serene grins and a mutually amiable demeanour. Introducing their set as an unofficial launch for their album Sift the Noise, lead singer Mark Lang thanked the crowd for fronting up whilst humbly acknowledging that most were probably there to see Miller-Heidke. They nonetheless appeared super happy to be performing, calling upon punters to pump their fists in the air as the set ascended into an appealing catalogue of charmingly simple but oh-so catchy tunes. Citing melancholy and “a bit of a manic mind” as song-writing stimuli, Lang led the band with his self-assured banter through songs like River Road and Getting Wasted, the latter of which enticed the sober from their shells and encouraged the drunk to truly embrace their inner Peter Garrett (and we’re not talking front bench antics here). One Chance was an aural apogee bolstered by enthused clapping, whilst the band signed off with Sinking, an earthy track bursting with sensory vim and endearing the crowd to the pure unequivocal joy of this promising clique.

As the crowd was teased with the cease of the intermission track and crouched into a hush, Miller-Heidke traipsed onto the stage to rapturous applause and kicked off the set with the very upbeat Motorscooter. The sequinned virtuoso then swung into an effervescent performance of I Like You Better When You’re Not Around; the entire band harmoniously cocking their heads to the beat and prompting pockets of the crowd to follow their kitsch lead. Belting out numbers from both albums, including Mama and Politics in Space, Miller-Heidke’s sonant prowess was transcendental and supported expertly by back-up vocalist Nicole Brophy. In the midst of the comedic personal anecdotes and cabaret-style theatrics, Miller-Heidke amazed listeners with Dreams, her mouth emitting exquisitely piercing notes akin to mic feedback. These trademark operatic nuances, coupled with lighting histrionics and a proficient blaze of electric guitar, perfectly showcased the raw talent behind Miller-Heidke’s vocal ingenuity.

The quirky theatrics of the evening seemingly allowed Miller-Heidke to accommodate her daily cardio, as an amazingly energetic vocal pageant ushered in Words. The Aria award-nominated track innervated the crowd as it erupted into the chorus, whilst the bridge saw Brophy roar a fiendish rendition of Rage Against The Machine’s venerable lyric “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!,” returning to the recognisable refrain and mushrooming into a musical orgasm. The set stalked a sublime finale with a now-staple interpretation of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice, naturally in possession of the experimental Miller-Heidke twist. Can’t Shake It was a fitting epilogue accented by deliciously operatic ooh-oohs, eliciting some playful booty-shaking by punters and barstaff alike.

Forecasts for the night were surpassed as the experience emerged as a surprisingly engrossing affair. In media, Miller-Heidke comes across somewhat as a bit of a princess, smugly basking in the talent of her incredible voice and unique sound. Instead, she proves herself an unpretentious and refreshingly modest performer, intent on expressing her nonpareil gift with the utmost of energy and symphonic glee. Her inimitable brand of contemporary pop featuring the unexpected blast of opera makes for a remarkable live experience, which, coupled with the optimism of Skipping Girl Vinegar’s arrangements, left punters with an oxytocin surge to last for days.

Too lazy to get your arse out of the couch? check out what you missed here