The rapidly emerging songwriter has solidified herself quite the fan base.
With a comfortably sold out show at Margaret Court and a second Melbourne arena show selling fast, you’d think Amy Shark would know she’s kind of a big deal. The down-to-earth artist, however, spent the majority of her set genuinely in awe of the fact that she was on that stage playing to that many people, and that summed up the charming tone her Melbourne headline show oozed.
The support acts seemed to represent the variety within Shark’s sound quite well. Erthlings brought the electronic and melodic synth pop with their full-bodied sound and beautiful harmonies, and Slowly Slowly, who are on their own steady trajectory, brought their strident guitar-driven fervour.
Opening with the first track from their St. Leonards LP called ‘Dinosaurs’, the Melbourne four-piece offered a blistering set that sampled their offerings so far, ending with the new single ‘Jellyfish’. “We’re not used to playing such a small, intimate venue” joked the band between songs but judging by the reaction from the crowd, Slowly Slowly might have to get used to these bigger stages.
It’s said you are truly famous when people can recognise your silhouette, and Amy Shark must be pretty close as her outline was revealed behind a massive banner decorated with her name. Opening with ‘Blood Brothers’ and moving quickly to the smash ‘Mess Her Up’, Shark’s voice, sound, and backing band were on point presenting a tight unit that rarely strayed from recording level quality.
The highlight moments, however, came when Shark reminded everyone why she was on the stage that astounded her so much. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, Shark gave a solo rendition of ‘Leave Us Alone’ that captivated the thousands of people in the room and reminded us why she is one of the biggest artists in the country right now. She then swapped the acoustic for an electric and kept the stage to herself for ‘You Think I Think I Sound Like God’ before bringing the band back in for the track’s big finish.
Not that a classic singalong cover was needed with crowd’s adoration of her originals, Shark offered her rendition on the Wheatus classic ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ mashed up with Maroon 5’s ‘Girls Like You’ complete with the Cardi B rap as her performance neared a close.
The songwriter then ended her set with an in-depth explanation of how the encore would work. Exhilarated to hear the stadium chant her name, she returned to the stage to perform ‘Adore’ and the closer ‘I Said Hi’.
While Amy Shark may have walked off the stage in disbelief as to how she got there, no crowd-member was questioning it after such a high-quality show. Humble to a fault, keep giving them hell, Amy.
Highlight: The tight musicianship on display during ‘Mess Her Up’.
Lowlight: Slowly Slowly could have a slightly longer set?
Crowd favourite: The song that introduced Amy to the world, ‘Adore’
