Live Review: Ladyhawke @ Northcote Theatre, Melbourne

Bec Sandridge (“Rhymes with sandwich,” she says), kicks us off with her impressive guitar work and attention-catching indie-rock that packs a punch. With her drummer Dave by her side, she powers through her striking and upbeat tracks, loaded with catchy melodies and attitude. Highlights include The Jetty, High Tide and I’ll Never Want A Boyfriend – the lattermost dedicated to her mum’s bible study.

It’s the last night of the 15th Anniversary Album tour to celebrate Ladyhawke’s self-titled debut album, which she performs in its entirety front to back. Beginning with Magic, the artist (real name Phillipa ‘Pip’ Brown) stands beneath a strobe light. She’s surrounded by triangular neon light tubes around her band’s instruments, glowing to the shimmering synth-pop track.

Brown continues to take us down memory lane with new wave, electro-pop classic gems including My Delirium, Paris Is Burning, Back Of The Van and Dusk Till Dawn. The audience dances and sings along in unison to the nostalgic tracks, filled with catchy pop hooks and ‘80s electro-rock ambiance. There’s something really special about hearing an album you love played live in its entirety, transporting you to a time and place where you first heard it – and this is no exception.

The electrifying show celebrates this milestone anniversary of Ladyhawke’s 2008 album perfectly, and even if you’ve played this record on repeat for years, it still feels just as fresh and exciting.

“When I started to call myself Ladyhawke, I was living here in Melbourne, in Carlton. I lived behind the foodie and everyday it smelled like chips – it was so great! So I’m kinda back in the place where I started,” Brown reveals, drifting off with the memories as she plays a song and has a full-circle moment. “I’ve always hated the façade of ending the set and walking off and waiting for people to call for an encore. So how about I just play it all the way through?” The audience applauses in agreement.

Brown continues with the final track of the album, Morning Dreams, plus a bunch of other songs– including her most recent hits My Love, Guilty Love, Think About You and Mixed Emotions, all from her 2021 album Time Flies. She thanks her fans who have supported her from the beginning, now and hopefully in the future as she prepares to work on new solo material after this tour.

She ends the set with Embrace, a song she did a long time ago with PNAU. “I was in a band called Teenager with Nick Littlemore back in the day, and we’ve got some new material coming out soon,” she reveals, before unleashing the iconic electro-pop anthem that never gets tired. The audience shouts the chorus at the top of their lungs, over and over again until the lights come on to signal us to leave.