The Gov had a lively cafe feel that was created by the tables and chairs that surrounded the stage and happy chatter of the audience. The atmosphere suited the slow rock, cabaret style opening performance of Princess One Point Five. The Melbourne duo improved musically and gained confidence throughout the set. Front woman Sarah-Jane Wentzki was zig zagging from guitar to keys and finished her set nicely with On My Own.  

Jen Cloher got the audience’s attention when she mentioned strippers, but her topical song Red Room wasn’t met with the same audience enthusiasm. Her band, Endless Sea, performing in Adelaide as a trio for the first time, added rhythm and depth to the melodic sounds that filled The Gov. Better off Dancing lifted the tempo and stopped a few conversations and Rain proved that Jen Cloher knows how to write a good tune. 

In honesty, I was more excited to see the support acts than Josh Pyke, but unfortunately their performances failed to really ignite the audience. The music was beautiful for sure, and the atmosphere was so relaxing that one guy in the booth seating area slept right through both support acts.  

The audience livened up a little when Josh Pyke took to the stage with his three piece band and played Fill You In. The sound had a few inital troubles, but Josh Pyke seemed to take it all in his stride. Staring Down The Sun was tight and professional with the drummer creating a cool bass sound across his lap whilst still using the foot-drum. The violinst also showed versatility by taking up a variety of percussion instruments that helped rock the middle of the set.

The real stand-out however was Josh Pyke and his professional aura – he was obviously so serious about playing good music, yet still able to have fun with the audience. Private Education had the audience humming along and swaying to the beat and sweet harmonies. The gig also launched Josh Pyke’s new single Memories & Dust. The song was the perfect exponent for Josh Pyke’s clear high notes, and prepared the audience for the song they had all been waiting for - Middle of the Hill. People were clapping along and excited enough when it finished to demand an encore.   

Josh Pyke Photo Gallery