Live Review: Chela, Bastian's Happy Flight, Three Hands One Hoof

On a brisk Thursday evening, as the relatively empty Mojo's began to fill with patrons and those patrons with beer, Three Hands One Hoof took the stage to do their thing. Although there was no significant crowd, the group managed to provide an appropriate soundtrack to conversation both inside and out. The group's brand of easy-listening indie-pop/rock was pleasant to listen to, sitting somewhere between The Tellers and Real Estate.
Following Three Hands One Hoof, Bastian's Happy Flight provided the grooves for the swelling crowd in anticipation of Chela's 11.15pm set. The group's synth-driven rhythms were augmented by an impeccable vocal performance from frontman, Will Slade. A good mix of old and new tracks, their set was one of the more visually entertaining of late, with Slade uncontrollably busting into a groove of his own during an instrumental break. Ending in extraordinary fashion, synth/bass player, Jack Doepel took up the saxophone, making his multi-instrumentation look far too easy for someone switching from keys to strings to wind.
For her first set back in Perth since Valentine's Day, the unmistakable hipster goddess Chela serenaded the crowd in a three-piece outfit with additional drummer and synth player. Initially keeping to her own equipment, Chela was soon to loosen up with her own dancing, outshining any of the dozen or so ladies that were clearly owning the dance floor. The short, 30-minute set went off without a hitch. Vocally, the Melbourne native was outstanding, especially evident in the chorus of Romanticise, which sounded somewhat clearer than the recorded version. Chela also took the time to thank her father, sitting inconspicuously to one side, until she enticed him to come join in the merriments, which in itself was just as entertaining as his daughter's dancing.