Live Review: Meghan Trainor

Part of her debut headlining tour, which began in Canada in February, Meghan Trainor wastes no time asserting herself and opens with current single Dear Future Husband.

GRL’s performance is as much about choreography as it is about singing. An unrelenting barrage of movement and dance, the four-piece dedicate their set to former-member Simone Battle, who died in September, 2014. Their performance is spirited, albeit brief – with only one EP and a handful of singles to work with, there’s not a huge catalogue to draw from just yet.

Part of her debut headlining tour, which began in Canada in February, Meghan Trainor wastes no time asserting herself and opens with current single Dear Future Husband. From then on, it’s wall-to -all hits as she leads a full backing band and troupe of dancers, and has her ‘Megatrons’ – her largely pre-teen fanbase – in the palm of her hand. Thematically, Trainor’s lyrics rarely deviate from relationship woes, however, what she lacks in lyrical subtlety, she more than compensates for by seamlessly exploring genres typically neglected by her peers. There’s soul balladry, funk, ‘60s-inspired rock‘n’roll and even a Caribbean dancehall-influenced number, although the largest applause is reserved for the bubblegum pop of Lips Are Movin and All About That Bass, the doo-wop earworm that spent four weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was nominated for a Grammy.

Showing an arsenal of talents that belie her 21 years, Trainor punctuates her set with a dance routine to Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk and pulls out a bedazzled ukulele to perform Title. There’s a rawness to her performance which is refreshing, as she constantly thanks her fans and is clearly emotional, almost overawed.

Much like Katy Perry’s performance at this same venue in 2009, you get the feeling that next time the M-Train rolls in to Australia, she will be playing larger venues; most probably sporting arenas.