Live Review: Eliott, Charlz

Fresh-faced and freshly signed to a publishing deal with Kobalt Music, Charlz is all orange camo pants and tees tonight to ready the cosy room upstairs at The Gasometer.

Backed by her guitarist and programmed music, she diligently works through a set spanning the gamut of heartbreak, youthful yearning and love, layering on reverb-heavy snares and finger-plucked '80s guitar lines with aplomb.

She could easily have had some B-sides on the Drive soundtrack, even if her recorded sound is more indebted to current pop trends than the husky execution presented tonight. Fifth song Colors drags the mood up a few notches, which is pleasant, but the crowd still seem more interested in their conversations and beers. Intimate environments are not always the most complementary to electronic artists, and the set is pulled through more on the strength of the songwriting than the stagecraft. She's still one to watch though.

If nerves or anxiety were an issue for Eliott tonight, it sure didn't show. If only all debut shows could be this intimate and packed! Her voice is unmistakable; part Vera Blue, part Jeff Buckley and much wilder and freer than on record. A live drummer and obligatory backing track were all we needed to be transported into her stark world. Third song Figure It Out, produced by Of Leisure signee Jack Grace, overloads on muted keys and shimmering background vocals, a mood permeating about half of the material tonight.   

Themes of overcoming personal malaise and perseverance through rough times in various relationships are the crux of Eliott's lyrics, but the piano-driven songs seem to dull her mood at times. New and unreleased track Circles pulses with vivid intensity though, and it's songs like these that show glimmers of the fantastic songwriter and performer Eliott can become; one that speaks plainly and true, and makes you live and breathe every word.

A cover of the legendary Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now gives a little more context to Eliott's set and musical forebears, an obvious nod. The last song Over & Over makes full use of the drum kit for a rousing finale and Eliott really wails; melismatic, melodramatic and masterfully working her full vocal range. Driven, self-assured and unfazed by attention, tonight saw an artist ready to take on Australia and the world.