Live Review: Odette, imbi the girl, Taj Ralph

Indie-rocker Taj Ralph hopped up on stage accompanied by a guitar and supporting band member. His style was percussive and groovy, the kind of music you’d tap along to while driving along a highway. Despite being a two-man band, the sound was layered and complex and the crowd seemed to be digging it.

Next up was the dreamy imbi the girl, who opened with Angel Face. The rhymes were slick and vocals velvety, poetically sliding off the tongue and catching us all by surprise. They evidently had some fans in the crowd; VIP was met with cheers and was dedicated to loving yourself, while Conversations was devoted to unrequited love. For the final hurrah, imbi the girl trained us to do backing vocals for Swell – it came off a treat, closing the set with style.

imbi the girl. Photo by Belinda Dipalo.

Odette graced the stage in red, accompanied by three 'angels' in white on supporting vocals. Solemnly starting her set with a refrain, she transitioned into Collide to lighten the mood. It was clear that the vocals were the real star tonight as Odette and her backing band expertly commanded our attention with every key change, harmony and melisma. She was supported by an array of instruments that were equally fantastic, but never outshone the star of the show. 

It wasn’t long before we got to dance, Odette whipping out Take It To The Heart early on, but it didn’t matter what song Odette was singing, the crowd responded with a mix of giddiness and excitement each time. Hinting that we might know the song, the band covered Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon in a spectacular fashion, with the three-piece harmony really giving the song a new life. She then excused her band to take a moment at the piano to play heartfelt ballads Pastel Walls and Angels. 

Odette was endearing and talkative throughout the evening, sharing her political stance in relation to Sydney’s music scene among other anecdotes. She debuted a new track much to everyone’s delight, but sealed the deal with another cover, this time, her magnificent take on Gang Of Youths' Magnolia. Coming to the end of her set, we were sad to see Odette go, as she saw us out with a beautiful rendition of Fractured Glass.

Odette. Photo by Belinda Dipalo.