Live Review: Jack River

It's been a breakthrough 12 months for Sydney-based artist Holly Rankin, better known by her acid-pop stage name Jack River. Riding high after Fool's Gold placed #64 in the 2017 Hottest 100 and her latest earworm Ballroom, her sold-out national tour concludes at Brisbane's Woolly Mammoth.

Tonight's woes for the venue, which was last weekend deemed unsafe to host Hockey Dad's sold-out Blend Inn show due to a damaged support beam, are two faulty ID scanners that see dozens of fans frustratingly stuck outside for the first songs of Rankin's set.

After finally entering the venue, the alehouse doors open to an absolutely heaving mosh, jumping along with Rankin's frenetic strumming and hair flicks. The sweet synth hook of Talk Like That is instantly met with hands in the air and the song's swelling arrangement sounds truly epic in the cosy, first-floor bar room.

A fresh cut from her upcoming debut album Sugar Mountain evokes a seemingly choreographed sway with the crowd, now packed like sardines as they all try to squeeze closer to Rankin who is dancing in her white jumpsuit. Fields, another unreleased track from her debut LP, showcases Rankin's eclectic songwriting flair. Beginning with a colourful soundscape, the song seamlessly transitions from cosmic synthesisers to an almost post-punk thumper - it's a little off-kilter, but heaps of fun.

The guitar-driven Fault Line sees the night's first singalong, with Rankin's signature sledgehammer vocals soaring over the adoring crowd's shrieks of "I should have loved you the first time".

Taking the pace down a notch, Rankin digs out the slow-burning Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby from her first EP Highway Songs No 2. The atmospheric Americana gem is simply stunning, with her voice acting like sonic glue holding the twisting and churning arrangement together.

A surprise cover of Tal Bachman's She's So High, featuring subtle three-part harmonies thansk to her bandmates, produces a euphoric singalong before Rankin triumphantly closes with her alt-pop party pieces Ballroom and Fool's Gold.

Jack River may only be on the cusp of releasing her debut album, but with an ear for the catchiest of melodies and striking alt-pop arrangements she's well on her way to being Australia's next great pop artist.