Live Review: Kathryn Rollins, Indian Red, Kikuyu

Kicking us off in the middle of an Indian summer night in the forever comfy Grace Darling bandroom is local micro popster Kikuyu. Cutting a lone figure accompanied only by a small tower of pedals, keys and an excellent faux Hawaiian shirt, the girl known to her friends as Sez Wilks immediately impresses. Exponents of loop pedals are common these days, but few do it with the deft skill and subtlety on show here tonight. After dealing with some slightly overenthusiastic punters (in a room this small heckling just becomes conversation) and whipping out a wonky but transcendent Talking Heads cover, Kikuyu is gone – hopefully to work on mass producing that shirt as a merch item.

Next up after an epic break in proceedings (this is what happens when you tote five vocalists and several guitars) are the latest contenders to Matt Corby's wordless chorus crown in Indian Red. Seriously, note to Mr Corby: if you don't hurry up and release that debut album soon, you're at a very real risk of being trampled over by scores of bands like this. With almost every element covered – the Boy & Bear backing vocals, the Lisa Mitchell-esque sidelady and even a floating floor tom – it's hard not to get caught up in comparisons here. When things simmer down though, as they do during a bit of mid-set quietude between singers Jon and Hayley, the results are genuinely lovely.

As the meals finish up downstairs and the dregs of the Grace Darling's epic evening Coopers special wander out, Melbourne via Perth's Kathryn Rollins glides on stage with a minimum of fuss. Dressed for the occasion in a striking black robe, Rollins wastes no time in showcasing the silky pipes that have whipped up some significant buzz over the last few months. Backed by a more than capable band, the songstress moves through tracks taken from her recent Reckless EP with a studied ease built up over years of solo outings. The comfort she finds on her own is exhibited by a four-song stretch mid-way, at which point the band hit the bar and leave Rollins alone with her guitar. A better than expected version of Beyonce's Halo is trotted out for her housemate's birthday but it's her own compositions in Cold Water and closer Reckless that have the crowd hanging on her every swoop and dive.