Live Review: Jack River, Jess Kent, Annie Hamilton

Despite having only released a debut single a few months ago, Annie Hamilton isn’t one who is shy or new to the stage. Making a later appearance as Jack River’s guitarist, this was her moment to shine. Serving up passionate lyrics delivered via powerful vocals, backed by a swirling mix of instrumentation, Hamilton’s set was impressive. Slow burner single Fade was particularly striking, giving us a taste of what she is capable of.

Next up, Jess Kent was here to hype up the crowd. Proud to be playing a hometown show, she felt like we were the right crowd to get involved in her set, encouraging us to sing, chant and clap along to her upbeat tracks. Debuting a few newbies, Champagne Dreams was a standout, while tried and true Get Down went down a treat.

While the stage was being set for the final act, Mr Brightside came on over the speakers, sparking a crowd singalong in the packed Metro Theatre. Shortly after, Jack River and band graced us with their presence.

Holly Rankin, who is the mastermind behind the Jack River persona, stepped out looking like a bona fide rock star. Dressed in a glittery, tasseled, pink and gold outfit, she had a fan blowing her hair back as she launched into Ballroom to kick off the show. Following it up with Palo Alto - the crowd were already eating out of the palm of her hand.

Rankin took a moment to gush about how stoked she was to be playing a sold-out Metro show, before serving up Limo Song and Constellation Ball. The crowd couldn’t help but notice the lights looking an awful lot like a constellation, with many reaching for their cameras to capture the band shrouded in pink and blue lights.

Getting personal, Rankin spoke about the context behind Sugar Mountain and the vulnerable place from which she wrote the album. One of the songs written in her darkest times was In Infinity, which she chose to dedicate to Luke Laing, the late musician and a former bandmate of Jack River.

The mood was picked up again with banger Fault Line – mass singalongs and boogying ensued.

Rankin called bullshit on having a planned encore, stating she was just going to play her set till the end. Explaining the next song was the band’s favourite to play, the familiar and nostalgic opening riff of She’s So High (a Tal Bachman cover) whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Saving the best till last, Jack River closed with Fool’s Gold, which is sure to be one for the ‘best of’ lists soon.