Live Review: Montaigne

The Fat Controller hosted an absolutely stunning evening with Sydney-based singer-songwriter Montaigne. Although she didn't perform until well after midnight, Jessica Cerro was worth the wait, her striking confidence and stage presence rare in a performer so young. Armed with a full band, Cerro belted out tunes to the packed out audience, smoothly transitioning between easy crowd interaction and energetic performance.

In The Dark and Because I Love You had the audience singing and dancing along with her. Cerro then explained that her songs often come from a deeply emotional place, becoming a way to deal with feelings she may otherwise be unable to process or communicate. Cerro's openness with her audience is extremely refreshing, and it created a deeply intimate rapport between performer and the Fat Controller dancefloor.

The highlight of the night was when she explored the more frenetic section of her repertoire; '80s-style bangers allowing Cerro to show that her voice isn't just unique, but powerful. Add in her robotic dance moves and she is absolutely stunning to watch — a born performer. 

Cerro finished her set and waved goodbye to the audience, but it didn't take long for her to jump back on stage wielding an acoustic guitar. Announcing that she despised bands that took forever to come back for an encore, she moved on to perform a beautiful three-song acoustic closer.