CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

The conventional – œhot new band’ narrative is generally as follows: a bunch of youngsters start jamming together, write a few catchy tunes, and spend all of their energy for the next year or so honing their skills in beer-soaked dives… until the stages, the audiences and the recognition all start to snowball. It’s the fantasy of choice for countless garage-dwelling outfits, and the blueprint to legitimacy for those who still believe in things like “real rock” and “selling out”.

Jonathan Boulet’s rise thus far exists outside of those conventions. In contrast, Boulet emerged with a fully-formed set of homegrown recordings well before appearing before any audiences (at least, as a frontman). The songs themselves are stunningly good and soon led to plenty of blog hype, high rotation on FBi, and recently, a recording contract with Modular. But with only a few recent support slots under his belt, it’s not unfair to wonder if he can deliver on stage with the same skill and charismatic authority as his pub-hewn contemporaries.

Fortunately, Boulet is mostly successful. With a collection of friends in tow, Boulet does a remarkable job of translating his often dense-sounding recordings to the stage. His voice is at full-strength live, and both he and his band play with a precision that betrays hours of off-stage practice and refinement.

In fact, if there’s any weakness to be mentioned at this point, it is that the performance at times seems a little too slick. It sometimes lacks the infectiousness that magnetic, commanding personalities bring to the stage. Such criticism seems almost cruel when levelled against a band whose live history hasn’t even entered the double figures, though, and these misgivings should fade as Boulet and co. become more at home on the stage.

El Perro del Mar, on the other hand, is well-versed in live performance. With most of the world already underneath her touring belt, the Swedish popster finally made it to Australian shores for this tour as guest of local fave Sarah Blasko. Performing a set of mostly recent material, she charmed a (sadly) half-full Oxford Art Factory with a brief but engaging set of songs.

Perhaps disappointingly, her backing band didn’t make it all the way from Sweden, leaving her with a guitarist and a Macbook for accompaniment. What a guitarist, though! Brandishing a double-necked axe that would give even the most bombastic locals inferiority issues (I’m looking at you, Stockdale), he was a puzzling, even amusing sight as the stage curtains rolled back. Luckily, his playing was tasteful; skillfully adding texture and character to the backing arrangements and accompaniment to El Perro del Mar’s own guitar work.

One benefit of the stripped-back set-up, though, was that it offered a fantastic showcase for her vocal prowess. El Perro del Mar’s voice was incredibly strong for the entire set, at times sounding both soulful and tender, and stood out amongst its’ accompaniments. And as a performer she was engaging, making up for a softly-spoken demeanour between songs with a commanding stage presence that oozed charm.

Often playing an acoustic guitar as well, she seemed in her element behind the mic, singing with a level of skill that was spectacular without coming across as showy. Suffice to say, that at the end of her brief 45-minute set, she left plenty wanting more. Here’s hoping she delivers soon, with band in tow.