Live Review: David Duchovny, Georgia Maq

Georgia "Maq" McDonald, frontwoman and one third of Melbourne's homegrown Camp Cope performs a solo support act tonight armed with her trusty acoustic guitar and booster pedal.

"It's my dream come true," she smiles excitedly a couple of times when referring to supporting David Duchovny. The Friday night crowd has filled the entire basement level and venue staff hand out cold bottled water to those who have bravely crushed to the front of the stage. Opening her set with an acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the land, Maq commands the audience with blistering vocal phrasing, solid songwriting and rich musicality. Through songs grounded in indie and punk rock, she conveys a myriad of raw emotions and taps into the wider social conversation: equality and the importance of safety for women walking the streets alone in tracks such as the grittily defiant Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams. By a stroke of serendipity (or extraterrestrial activity), additional poignancy is given to her aptly titled track Mulder, It's Me (Something Terrible Has Happened) - she even throws in a line about "watching X-Files" and the crowd takes the bait. Even though we have been waiting close to two hours after queuing outdoors in stifling humidity, we are enraptured by Maq's honest delivery and listen attentively, spellbound.

Through a somewhat odd (corny?) entrance driven by the thumping introduction of AC/DC's Thunderstruck and flashing coloured spotlights on stage, the man himself, David Duchovny, finally appears on stage with his four-piece band to giddy applause. It's doubly puzzling because Duchovny's music doesn't bear any resemblance to that of this iconic Aussie rock band, but, then again, maybe he is politely paying homage to the local rock talent. Opening with the languid Every Third Thought from his second album, Duchovny's vocal limitations are immediately apparent. He remains locked in his familiar high-baritone range, which is good news to fans of his screen work, but is rather jarring at times to the musically inclined. In fact, there is a clear disconnect between his band and his singing, almost as if Duchovny struggles to keep pace and find the melody.

"How you all doing tonight? The boys here and I - this is our first time here," he says to whoops of delirium. The tracks straddle between spectrums of alternative rock and folk, with hues of country-and-western influence. At least they are easy-listening, though, and, to Duchovny's credit, the most suited to his voice. A touching story about his father's death in Paris explains the lyrics behind Stranger In The Sacred Heart and a dedication to his brother going through a tough time in 3000 are the personal touches that further enshrine Duchovny in the hearts of the crowd tonight. Duchovny is a daggy dancer, but at least he gives it a red-hot go. The huge elephant in the room is Fox Mulder and he definitely knows it. Every time he teasingly gives the merest suggestion of lifting up his tight black T-shirt, the roaring din of approval from women - and men - is deafening.

His lively cover of The Band's The Weight with the familiar coda, "Take a load off, Fanny," ends with a classic deadpan monologue from Duchovny: "We realise that you guys interpret fanny differently here." The band also fare well with a cover of Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over when the keyboardist fills in entirely for vocals. Hell Or Highwater, from Duchovny's first album, is also jubilantly received.

His music hovers just above a bona fide vanity project, but Duchovny is going in clear-eyed and humble. "I am so lucky to have the best band," he enthuses. And kudos must be given to their on-the-spot improvisation to accommodate his vocal delivery. As long as the conspiracy theorists are around, Duchovny will never lack a capacity crowd.