Live Review: Chet Faker, Leure, Shy Panther

9 August 2012 | 10:19 am | Nic Owen

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You should consider having sex with a bearded man...  Not once but twice in one evening; sorry Chet you have some competition! Barely 9pm and Mojo's is already filled to the brim and first support Shy Panther has the audience under their spell with fluffy-faced lead Fragomeni, building whimsical layers under a loop machine. One part Jeff Buckley to two parts Thom York, the band build soulful psychedelic trip hop over undeniably awesome vocals. The tight six-piece, complete with dueling drummers, prove Perth once again has outdone itself in the 'something in the water' department.

Second in line on the support front, but with a much less hairy face was Wolves At The Door's Ash Hendriks performing under her new solo electronica guise Leure. Not too dissimilar from the indie folk sounds of her band, Ash brings to the stage a mysterious beauty with haunting dreamy vocals over minimalistic and understated soundbeds – only this time it's beats. All the ingredients of a great solo artist are here, playing between a guitar and iMachine sampling pad. Ash is shy and softly spoken but you fall in love with her for it. The only thing lacking sadly at the best of times was the audience not knowing how to shut the fuck up.

Chet Faker aka Nick Murphy follows through with all the unassuming attributes of his stage's predecessors. He too looks down with a shy smile hiding under a royal ginger bushman's beard that doesn't quite know if its hobo chic or not. Appearance aside (to the gushing remarks of women throughout the building) is a man thrown into the limelight for all the right reasons. Talent, and droves of it! Opening with the glitch hoppy Cigarettes & Chocolate, the song sounds a million dollars more live with his tight four-piece band bringing the track to new heights. After some brief musings about the song's lack of meaning and that Fremantle is quite nice, the band kicked into the real deal with second song Terms & Conditions, sitting Chet behind the Rhodes with his lazy soulful vocals, the real star of the show. For what continued out perfectly, the only sad moment was having hit single I'm Into You thrown in third causing the audience to 'gratefully' responded by yet again not knowing how to shut the fuck up! This felt most exposed during a beautiful solo moment with the rest of the band leaving the stage towards the end of the set. Come on people have some respect when someone is pouring their heart out through song, it only ruined it for the rest of us!