Live Review: Ryan Downey, Hollie Joyce, El Tee

Her set list is written on a crossword puzzle and opener El Tee (aka Lauren Tarver) gets underway with emotionally steered vocals, introspective lyrics and an overall melancholy tinge to her melodies. An American-born musician residing in Melbourne, Tarver's banter leaves much to the imagination (a terrible chicken joke is met by an awkward silence) but she more than makes up for it musically. 

In stark contrast to Tarver, Hollie Joyce's set kicks off with a thunderous roar, no introduction needed. The wail and howl of Joyce's voice is full of raw passion, capable of raucous, rock'n'roll freakouts and alluring, melodic moments in equal measure. Her band is great, but it is drummer Jess Ellwood that really stands out, playing with a particularly infectious energy. Upbeat and with her tongue planted firmly in her cheek, Joyce lifts the energy levels with a catchy, '60s-garage songs about imaginary boyfriends, another about dogs (which Joyce tells us her dad wrote) that's received warmly with a crowd singalong and a scathing attack on the gender bias in the music industry (Dumb Bitch).

As Ryan Downey's rich baritone comes warbling through the microphone, his voice hangs in the air before filling the room entirely. Downey's band deserves a lot of credit here, adding a fuller sound yet still allowing space for Downey's lower register to stand out. 

The soothing tone of Downey's vocals have been described as an amalgamation of Leonard Cohen and Bill Callahan, which is certainly true in sound and storytelling ability. What makes Downey unique, however, is his diverse range of genres. From the Western-sounding The Weather Song to the '80s synths of Techno Dolls and even a jazz interlude to introduce the band ("I get them to play shitty elevator music, it keeps them in their place"), Downey's influences are clearly widespread.

Playing through his debut record, Running, Downey also covers the full gamut lyrically with an album about self-analysis, sex, love and modern living. All the while, Downey is a joy to watch on stage, waltzing around with slow, deliberate movements and hand gestures, indicating precisely how deeply entrenched in the moment he is as he's performing these songs for us. 

A very grateful artist, Downey acknowledges everyone from the band, from the support acts to his music-video producers, choreographers, record labels, publishers and his manager. The best is still to come, though, with a beautifully intimate version of Those Eyes That Answer sans band, as Downey showcases his nimble and affecting guitar playing. Bringing the band back for a Eurythmics cover, Love Is A Stranger, Downey shares his final, and most important, gratitude to the audience as he leaves the stage: "I know how much effort it takes to follow a new artist, so thank you." The pleasure was all ours.