Live Review: Nicholas Allbrook, Flowertruck, Through The Forest Door

Luke O'Farrell of The Laurels opens the night as Through The Forest Door - a single guitarist under yellow lights. At the moment his focus seems to be a kind of moody pop. It's moving and atmospheric, just one voice and a frail guitar line, but it's the layered guitar lines (thanks looper pedal!) of some breakdowns that are the most satisfying to hear.

Flowertruck, led by charismatic frontman Charles Rushforth, kick things up a level. We've got a middle-aged man dancing in the centre — like he's got moves — and the rest of the slowly filling room move to stand and groove. The Sydney dance-pop band have definitely got that special something that piques your interest — whether that be the mundane everyday lyrics a la Sunshower and I Wanna Be With You off last year's EP Dirt, or the stage antics, banter, and unique almost '80s pop vocals of Rushworth. He's a showman, and he keeps our attention.

But now it's time for the main event — Nicholas Allbrook. Yes, yes, we know the talented Allbrook from every-Perth-band-ever (POND, Tame Impala, Allbrook/Avery…), but his solo efforts are a different beast entirely. We're talking glam-pop, sometimes restrained, but more often than not outgoing, outlandish. Allbrook is out of this world — he operates on a totally different plane to us mere mortals, and we ought to be grateful, because he's showing us something we rarely see.

Allbrook brings a sense of atmosphere, a mood to fill the room, even as he stands centre stage armed only by a pre-records and his electric guitar. It's his unique spacey vocals that keep us in thrall — particularly on opener Pretty Story. Then Allbrook spends the rest of the night alternating his position — standing reverent in front of the mic for the single he's touring tonight, Advance, or romping around the stage for Whispers Of Beauty, or in the thick of the crowd, leaning back, being groped by overexcited punters ("You really know how to make a man feel special"). All this while he continues to wail on his sometimes-funky guitar, and it's making sounds we weren't even sure were possible. Oh, and he grabs a flute too.

A high point comes when he invites the mononymous Josh — who he definitely did not meet at the pub yesterday — up on stage to play sax on Tramadol With Fear. It's joyous and fun, a really lovely moment. Another highlight comes in the form of the passionate The Man's Not Me, Allbrook selling it with his performance. Awe-inspiring. "I'm going to play another one down with you guys, and then I'll call it off — because it's fun down there." He closes with Blanket 3072. Glam and grand.