Live Review: Grimes, HANA

As one of the new 'it' girls currently floating around town, the high ponytail-wearing LA-based newcomer HANA (Hana Pestle) played the support set of the night for her Instagram BFF Grimes' sold out show. With her whispery, echoing vocals and impressive flashing neon Japanese-style parasol set up on stage behind her, she performed her debut single Clay. Though her sultry blend of indie-synth-pop may sound like something we've already heard, there's no denying Pestle's voice is strong, capable and chock-a-block full of potential.

Running up on stage in what appeared to be activewear tights under Muay Thai kickboxing shorts and a giant red velvet Minnie Mouse-type bow, 27-year-old Claire Boucher aka Grimes catapulted the audience into the inner workings of her mind with a show that was insanely fast-paced, erratic, playful and a even little bit twisted. Flesh Without Blood and REALiTi worked incredibly well on stage, with the penetrating, hypnotic light show spinning lasers and spraying dotted lights onto the walls and ceiling.

Performing mostly new tracks off her latest album Art Angels, it felt a lot like Grimes was channeling Die Antwoord's Yolandi Visser and Madonna's wild child '80s punk vibe — and she absolutely made it work to her advantage. Hardcore fans in the downstairs moshpit roared with screams and applause after almost every song, attempting to hang onto every word — even when she picked up the mic and spoke so rapidly her words were almost indistinguishable. At one stage, she forgot the lyrics to one of her songs (twice), scrambling to pick up the notes on her keyboard before continuing on with the show. Most didn't seem to notice or care as they had already allowed themselves to be entirely consumed by the mesmerising, high energy, multi-coloured performance on stage in front of them.

Boucher took the audience by surprise when she sung a stripped back, almost eerie, ethereal cover of Ave Maria, before diving into crowd favourite Oblivion and ending with Kill V. Maim, proving herself not only as a talented, successful underground performer but also a world class act.