Live Review: Lanks, Samsaruh, Eliott

16 March 2018 | 4:37 pm | Michael Prebeg

"'I'm not 27 anymore, though, I'm 28,' he clarifies. 'I made it past the 27 club.'"

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Eliott has a huge voice, the kind of voice that is destined for big things. The singer-songwriter shares her debut single Figure It Out, which is an honest and uplifting slow-burning ballad. She stands by her keys and plays beautiful instrumentation alongside a flawless vocal delivery during a cover of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now and her latest heartfelt release Over & Over.

Samsaruh exudes confidence throughout her performance. With a talented multi-instrumentalist by her side, she's able to focus on her commanding vocals. She dances around energetically, has a mesmerising stage presence and we get lost with Samsaruh thanks to her passionate and captivating delivery of songs such as Beautiful Killer and Golden To Thrive.

It's been a big week for Lanks (aka Will Cuming). He got married, released a new song and announced details of his debut album. "Tonight is just the icing on the cake," he says. To add to his excitement, this show is also sold out - that's also cause for a big celebration. Some special guests join Cuming to try out a bunch of new elements he's never incorporated before. One guest in particular plays the cello for the first time during the live Lanks performance, which adds a deep, melodic layer when combined with the swirling, electronic production. "I spent a lot of time making all the sounds in this record. The whole album was a big process," Cuming reveals. One of the producers who helped Lanks make it all possible is Andrei Eremin and Cuming gives him a shoutout since he's in the crowd tonight.

In between songs from past Lanks EPs, he test-runs a few new tracks including Reticent and Horoscopes that boast an upbeat, danceable vibe. He busts out the flute for a solo on Sometimes and then performs a sublime cover of Billie Eilish's Watch. A brand new song he put out this week, twentyseven, is the title track from his forthcoming debut album. "I'm not 27 anymore, though, I'm 28," he clarifies. "I made it past the 27 club." The tune features strong percussion elements wrapped around a charming electro-pop soundscape. The main reason for this tour is to promote his single My Own Mystery, an intensely personal song that Cuming tells us was written last year when he was living in Melbourne while his now-wife was living in Sydney. "We did long distance and she listened to the demo of this to fall asleep," Cuming tells.

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Holla provides plenty of grinding drops with plenty of soft, sad indie-pop moments to allow the audience to feel something while they dance. Lanks doesn't believe in encores, so instead we share one final emotional moment during Icarus, for which Samaruh and Eliott return to the stage to supply backing vocals. Lanks is on top of the world right now and, after what has probably been the best weekend of his life to date, tonight tops it all off.