Opening tonight’s proceedings is The Painkillers frontman Joe Bludge, in solo acoustic mode. Playing to half-empty room, Bludge does well to gauge the interest of the seated crowd, though the curiosity starts to wane after a few tracks. The fast-paced strumming and the edgy rock vocals are decent enough and Painkillers track Redfern Girl manages to rouse some attention, though a sense of monotony starts to develop and the response to his act is lukewarm at best.

The mood in the room shifts considerably as Jen Cloher, joined by guitarist and backing vocalist Michael Hubbard, take to the stage. The room is about as full as it will get all night, and the punters are treated to nearly the entire tracklisting from Cloher’s debut full length Dead Wood Falls, with a Bruce Springsteen cover thrown in there for good measure. The last time Cloher hit Perth was back in October last year, supporting Josh Pyke on his Memories and Dust tour. She must have left quite the impression because the crowd needs no warming up to get into the set. Opening with acoustic ballads Red Room and The Longing Song, Cloher puts her smooth sultry vocals on display. Peppering the set with her humble anecdotes, Cloher laments that this will be her last show for the good part of a year which makes it that little bit more special.

Rattling off Fingersmith and Better Off Dancing, more numbers from Dead Wood Falls, and Cloher has pulled the crowd in. The applause gets louder with each song and Cloher’s gratitude is obvious. In crowd favourite Rain, the Adelaide songstress really lets loose, delivering the vocals with smoky passion. Throughout the set, Hubbard provides exactly what you want from a backup singer – his understated vocals intertwining seamlessly with Cloher’s, giving it that extra layer that propels the duo to the next level. Capping off the short but very sweet set, the duo perform the luminous Streelights Not the Stars - an inspired finisher. It’s difficult to find any fault in the performance; the usual mid-set lull was surprisingly absent, the sound was just right, Cloher was clearly enjoying herself on stage, the punters were into it… simply put, a powerful performance by Cloher and Hubbard that left the crowd craving for more musical enlightenment.

...And they weren’t to be disappointed. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Laura Veirs accompanied by drummer/producer Tucker Martine blew the fans away in her first appearance in Perth. Showcasing her latest album, critically acclaimed Years of Meteors, the punters were treated to an hour of indie-slash-folk-slash-alternative-slash-whatever music at its finest. Opening with the frolicking Where Gravity is Dead, and it’s clear that there is considerably different sound tonight than what the punters have heard on the albums. Without the usual backing band, a more acoustic sound is to be had – and it isn’t a bad thing; the intimacy and connection with the audience is great. She even mixes it up a bit, utilising vocal loops in a strange twist. Understandably, Veirs seems a little nervous on this opening number, though the heartfelt applause seems to do wonders for her confidence and she dives straight into the swinging Cool Water. A chorus of whistling later and the audience’s intrigue thickens. What will she pull out next?

Not a whole lot really, that’s about where the experimentation stops and for the most part, the rest of the songs get the same whistling chorus and loop-to-fadeout treatment. It’s no major irk, in fact its one of very few things that one can criticize of the performance. Though you just get the feeling that Veirs is holding back a little and it’s a shame the punters never get to see her really let loose. Still, a minor concern – moving on.

Strolling through some older tunes including Wandering Kind, Nightingale and Ocean Night, Veirs is entrancing as she conjures up canvases of delicate imagery. Her lyrical ability is truly her biggest draw-card, and she has the crowd captivated as she delivers them with that lovely demure alt-country twang. By now, Veirs seems to be completely relaxed and enjoying the casual walkthrough her extensive song collection – even stopping midway through the intro to Song My Friends Taught Me to satisfy a request for Magnetized. The assorted mix of a crowd is loving it. Next up is future album track Cast a Hook in Me and it’s one of the highlights of the night. Finely poised centre stage, Veirs proves she is more than capable to fill the room with her sound without the aid of a band.

After crowd favourites, the honky-tonk(ish) Black Eyed Susan and the breezy Lake Swimming, Veirs finishes the night off on a more upbeat note with Rialto and Secret Someones. Rialto inspires a crowd clap-a-long, and it’s a testament to the impression Veirs left tonight that it goes right through to the end – unlike those usual attempts that fizzle out when the eager punter realizes he is the only one clapping.

As expected, after Veirs and Martine leave the stage the cheering continues until Veirs reenters the stage, later joined by Martine, to the crowds delight – one happy fan in particular who let loose with one of the more stranger cheers Veirs is sure to have heard – something along the likes of “Aiiiiiii-yai-yai-yai-ya!” That was probably another highlight of the night.

Winding down with a couple more older favourites, Rapture and Riptide from Carbon Glacier, the encore is nothing astonishing, but a pleasant end to the night. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn’t completely satisfied by tonight’s performance, including Veirs and Cloher themselves, and it’s safe to say that both will be eager to return to our humble city.