Live Review: ABRA, Manu Crook$, Alta, Nasty Mars, Ojikae

The Melbourne leg of Red Bull Music Academy's Road To Weekender festival hit Corner Hotel tonight showcasing some of the most alluring and breathtaking local and international talent. First up is Ojikae, an 18-year-old who impresses with a selection of reverb-drenched R&B numbers complemented by his soulful vocals. Despite struggling to hit the high notes due to illness, Ojikae admirably gets the job done, with latest single Existentiality a clear highlight.

Fellow Melbourne artist Nasty Mars brings a touch of hip hop to the evening with a set of jazzy, old-school-inspired tracks. The Lionel Richie lookalike sings and raps his way through a procession of love ballads before ending with an audience singalong of Frank Ocean's Self Control.

Next up is producer/singer duo Alta who cook up a delightful serving of electronic offerings that finally get the crowd jiving. Hannah Lesser's sublime vocals are key to this act's appeal and balance out the rave elements of their high-octane tunes. The always-entertaining Manu Crook$ rounds out the support duties and continues his rise up the hip hop mountain with another must-see performance. Fresh from the release of his debut EP Mood Forever, the animated Crook$ is brimming with energy as he gets the crowd turnt with Day Ones, Blowin' Up, Ridin' and fan-favourite Assumptions.

Atlanta-based singer-songwriter ABRA isn't lacking confidence as she appears to an audience chanting her name just after 10.30pm. With midriff exposed, sunglasses on and long blonde hair cascading down her back, ABRA immediately takes control of the stage. Swirling freely with arms swaying and expressing her thoughts on love and relationships through the music she creates, ABRA has everyone grooving along to her shadowy R&B jams. Love & Power sets the mood with its steady beat, Crybaby picks up the tempo with its '80s-influenced synths and I Guess is a slice of late-night club music. After ABRA warns the crowd, "We going to turn up, turn up, turn up," Pull Up gets the first big reaction of the night as we sing the chorus back to the self-proclaimed "Darkwave Duchess".  Sensing everyone is fully on board, ABRA gets her "badass DJ Darrell" to drop Come 4 Me and encourages the crowd to boogie along, not that we need an invitation. The dancefloor resembles a packed nightclub, heaving with bodies moving at all angles in response to the lush soundscapes pulsating from the speakers. One fan delights ABRA by handing her a rose during her track of the same name then the bass-heavy Fruit signals the end of her enthralling 50-minute headline spot. Despite the short set, these darkwave R&B productions are even better when experienced in the live arena, which demonstrates why ABRA deserves to be hailed as the next big thing.