Project Description

ALICE IVY

@ Black Bear Lodge

(Live Review)

23/02/18

Reviewed by Alexandra Ainsworth

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Brisbane’s Keelan McCoy, better known as Keelan Mak, is the first to take to the modest stage. His impressively smooth beats and silky vocals are quick to impress the few of us in the room, with a handful of fans unashamedly using the extra space to dance to his hard to fault tracks. While the solo artist’s production is both full-bodied and delicately layered, his soulful vocals are the highlight of the set. Mak’s voice swells with the slow build in each track, resulting in a gorgeous payoff that I’m disappointed more people weren’t there to witness. Anymore and SKB are both standouts from the set, and holds the promise of more big things from the Brisbanite.

Melbourne’s Nasty Mars is putting on a stripped back performance tonight. Instead of the usual lineup, the hip-hop artist is instead backed by good friend UV Boi on decks. The two pull off a solid set, a generous blend of rap, soul, and R&B. With a cover of fellow artist Baro and a chance for UV Boi to perform his own track, Perfect Picture, the temporary duo make an impressive makeshift team.

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Joining bandmate Louis onstage, Alice Ivy makes a long-awaited entrance in front of the eager crowd. There is an instant sense of excitement that is felt both on stage and on the floor, as roaring cheers near deafen the intro to the set. With a record as heavily produced and sampled as Ivy’s debut, there is always a lingering fear that as dynamic as the set list is, the live performance will lack the same energy. This, however, is far from the case in the Black Bear Lodge. As soon as she steps in front of the crowd, Ivy makes her presence known. It isn’t an overt effort, but it’s impossible not to marvel at her infectious energy and excitement. From the way she interacts with her band members to the way she trashes around her instruments, Ivy isn’t holding back. Her music brings a well-deserved confidence that is impossible not to love.

The tracks aren’t as perfect as they appear on the record, extra beats and warped timelines interrupt and distort the familiar songs. It catches you off guard but it reminds you of the live-aspect behind the heavily produced songs. Ivy’s voice isn’t as strong as the ones she’s chosen to include on the record (which include Bertie Blackman and E^ST), but it makes it all the more endearing. She enjoys performing the tracks just as much as we enjoy listening to them, with the room is full of movement from front to back.

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The setlist comes primarily from Ivy’s recently released debut, I’m Dreaming, but the Melbournian throws in a couple of older tracks to break up the set, and is taken aback by the fact a handful of fans recognise the back-catalogue. Ivy takes several moments between tracks to thank the crowd for coming, mentioning how her last show in Brisbane had amassed about ten viewers. It’s a touching moment between her beat driven songs, and as Alice Ivy, Moet in hand, jumps (quite literally) into Get Me A Drink, it’s hard to imagine that she will be playing these smaller venue shows for much longer.

The night ends with the final song on the record, Kaya High. It’s a slower pace to the one that has been building all night, but it’s the only song on the album which features Alice Ivy’s own vocals. The track is a poignant ending to the night, as Ivy, visibly nervous about how bare she is in front of the crowd, absolutely nails every note. The night is obviously over, but the crowd isn’t ready to let Ivy go. Cheers for an encore coerce her back on stage, and she happily obliges to a final track to thank us for coming out tonight. It’s an older one that only a few fans recognise, but we’re all collectively happy to have a final chance to appreciate the absolute beauty that is Alice Ivy.

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