Live Review: Jack River, Jess Kent, Annie Hamilton

Even with Brisbane Festival’s big closing parties hoarding massive crowds, there’s no surprise that further north at The Triffid, Jack River’s headline show has completely sold out. With fans herding into the venue ages before the first set, the anticipation is so vividly real.

Taking the stage first to a semi-full venue is Sydney’s Annie Hamilton. Sporting beautifully sincere vocals mixed with gorgeously composed guitar lead-lines, she wows the crowd and plays a set full of upcoming material, while finishing with single Fade.

Running onto the stage after a big drum build-up, English-born electronic hip hop artist Jess Kent dances around with the crowd almost mimicking her every move. Swapping between dancing with a microphone and wooing the crowd with a Stratocaster, Kent takes things to an emotional level as she explains how her music is developed. One perfect crowd-performer moment takes place as she teaches the crowd the chorus to one of her songs. As she and the crowd bounce off one another, arms wave through the air – it’s pure amazement. Things get to a big level again as she jumps into Get Down, and with the stage lighting up in great pink flares, she finishes her set with Girl.

Dressed in white silk shirts with Christmas-like lighting overtaking the backdrop, Jack River’s band walks up to The Doors’ Riders On The Storm. As Holly Rankin takes the stage, there’s deafening screams coming from the crowd. Beginning with Ballroom and Palo Alto, there isn’t a single person who isn’t dancing.

The defining feature of Rankin’s stage performance is that she can absorb the crowd’s energy and transform it into something magical. She claims that she’s bringing things down with a mellower song – but as she drops into Talk Like That, the engagement and pure joy of the crowd proves the contrary. Even her mother in the crowd is singing her heart out.

She plays Limo Song and Constellation Ball – dropping her guitar she dances across the stage, waving at crowd members and telling everyone how much she loves them. Though the crowd thinks they couldn't possibly peak any further, Rankin begins her closing tracks with Fault Line – there’s a brief, second-long pause after a pre-chorus, and as the band dives into the chorus the venue lights up in both sound and atmosphere. Finishing with her cover of Tal Bachman’s She’s So High and then singing along with the crowd to Fool's Gold, Jack River is truly one of Australia’s greatest performers.