Live Review: The Veronicas, Japanese Wallpaper, KIAN

Castlemaine wunderkind KIAN won triple j’s Unearthed High competition back in 2018 and continues to go from strength to strength. He encourages the crowd to move closer to the stage - the ground is soaking wet so punters strategically place themselves on parts of the grass they won’t sink into. The 17-year-old plays tracks from his debut EP, which came out last year, but tells his fans that he owes them some new music and it’ll be coming soon. He shares a taste of some unreleased tracks for us today and it’s a bit different from what we’re used to hearing from him, with his smooth and soulful vocals wrapped around danceable backbeats and jangly rhythms.

Another former Unearthed High champ, Gab Strum, aka Japanese Wallpaper, takes to the Australian Open stage with a full band today. A glowing display of a purple- and pink-coloured sky illuminates the backdrop to enhance their mesmerising soundtrack, which makes us feel warm and cosy. Playing songs from his recently released debut album, each intricate layer of sound is delicately crafted to create an imaginative and euphoric dreamscape. Bandmate Georgia Smith lends her sweet vocals on a few tracks (including Forces). Strum swaps in on vocals once more to bring the set to a close with Between Friends. His silky-smooth yet fragile vocals combined with the soft sound of raindrop-like windchimes is simply magical. 

Japanese Wallpaper @ AO Live. Photo by Lucinda Goodwin.

A countdown ticks down on the screen as a montage of The Veronicas rolls. At zero, Jess and Lisa Origliasso make an explosive entrance with their energetic dance number Take Me On The Floor. Their setlist caters for both new and old fans with a great mix of their hits and some unexpected deep cuts - Everything I’m Not and Hook Me Up go out to all their old-school fans here today.

The powerhouse twins admit they’ve had some false starts over the past few years, but they reveal that a new album is finally coming in 2020. Recent single Ugly showcases a fresh sound for the duo - it's a hypnotic electro-pop track with synth layers and a huge, pulsating energy. It also candidly addresses their recent relationship issues and serves as the theme song for their reality TV show Blood Is For Life.

The Veronicas @ AO Live. Photo by Lucinda Goodwin.

They pour their hearts out and showcase some impressive harmonies and vocal runs for emotional ballad You Ruin Me, and then bring the vibe right back up again with their infectious pop-rock on 4ever. They make a quick public service announcement before the encore to remind the crowd that it’s a family-friendly event so we need to stay safe: “Basically, do not do the wall of death during Untouched.” We stand for the unofficial Australian anthem and scream-sing every single word at the top of our lungs until we’re out of breath.