Live Review: Rhye, Rachel Claudio

A striking water feature spells out a welcoming entrance to the Foxtel Festival Hub that's buzzing with Melbourne Festival excitement. Inside the hive of activity the pop-up band room is where it's all happening tonight.

Rachel Claudio surrounds herself among an array of musical machines of all shapes, sizes and performs like a whole band on stage as just one person. "It can get a bit lonely up here on stage," she tells us as her heart runs by a MIDI to express her emotions through a variety of electronic musical instruments and devices. Her soulful vocals are powerful with rich creative flair, changing from sensual ballads to quick rhymes and raps to break up each song.

Standing by her beliefs on Love Will Save The Day, she shows us that she doesn't care about the cynics and does what she feels with passion and fire in her soul. With a heavy impact about the truths of hard love Claudio delivers every breath with sincerity.

Before leaving the stage she warns us that if we watch Rhye we will get pregnant. Well, figuratively speaking, of course — "They are that good!" she exclaims. One half of the duo, Canadian singer Michael Milosh, seduces us with his intimate and androgynous vocals as he sings, "Make love to me" on The Fall. The romantic number is accompanied by a violin and cello taking turns to shine in the spotlight and wrap around Milosh's soothing tones.

Trying to keep to the short set, they can't decide if they should play more songs or fewer songs for longer. They flirt the idea with us for a bit before choosing the latter, continuing to perform elongated instrumentals that stretch out and draw us into their atmospheric soundscape.

Each song builds up perfectly, with beautiful light and shade, full of intricate detailed layered sounds to send us into a dreamy state of relaxation. Milosh's gentle vocals convey vulnerability and deep emotion with distinct soft and fragile qualities that defy gender categorisation.

Gliding through a fusion of R&B, electronic and jazz influences, each instrumental composition flows gracefully alongside his sultry and haunting falsetto that's both compelling and intoxicating.

"It only makes sense to end in a really sad song," he tell us as he sings us the final lyrics: "It's over again." The audience is completely still, soaking up every last vocal and musical note.