A 20 year old Auckland raised girl kicked off a concert named Melodrama at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington Central on Saturday the 11th of November. This girl is Ella - also known as Lorde - the popular artist that had turned famous overnight at 16 and had since created 2 successful albums and 1 EP.

"A couple rebel Top Gun pilots flying with nowhere to be...." The night started with Lorde's unique, smokey voice singing Homemade Dynamite, whilst the audience screamed in excitement to welcome her presence and the lights shown the words "MELODRAMA". Lorde continued into her second song that she created in conjunction with the talented Disclosure - Magnets. In her white top with frilly shoulder design and black pants she said to the audience "Make it raw and make it real but we're in it together tonight, Wellington!" and the audience went into a frenzy once more leading into the song Tennis Court from her first album Pure Heroine.

Lorde's interaction with the audience is continuous throughout in her down to earth, relaxed style. I particularly enjoyed her reminiscing back to her first show in Wellington three years ago when she was still underage requiring her mum to travel with her as a guardian. This was before she earned a dressing room and had to walk through the crowds saying "excuse me, excuse me" before she could get to the performance venue. The memory is vivid and looking back now she described herself as a bit "lame back then", but also felt very grateful that people are willing to listen to her singing and talking on stage now and had shed her first on-stage tear in Christchurch in the same week as the love and passion from her fans struck her so strongly.

Two modern dancers joined her on stage as she sung Hard Feelings/Loveless softly and coarsely enunciating each word of the lyrics. The lyrics she writes is the part of music that is worth exploring - it's raw, vivid and reflects her style. Before she started her next song, she got out a little blue xylophone and stated playing the tune from the song Buzzcut Season.

My favourite two songs from this concert was The Louvre and Liability. The Louvre had a pluck guitar musical with the drums, which was the simplest compliment to Lorde's voice losing it to the beat and the imagination of the love affair with a megaphone to her chest and "broadcasting boom boom boom make 'em all dance to it". Liability sounds like a sad song talking about how an ex expressed that she was "you're a little much for me, you're a liability". The melody of the song sounds little like the beginning of Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, but instead of the lively lyrics "liability" is very much a slower, nostalgic version as we "watch me disappear into the sun".

Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire was also sung as the Lorde's twelveth song and she only had the guitarist accompanying her. This was definitely Lorde's gentle, acoustic version. She kept it short and simple without taking away the old fashioned classic melody.

Lorde finished off with Greenlight as the lights flickered with sharp colours and cherry blossom confetti in the air. She said "this one is special.. is all joy all pain and all pettiness and insanity". The visual effect really complimented her smokey voice - not that the audience needed anymore stimulation to enjoy and embrace the night.

After the lights went dark, the audients refused to leave. "Encore" was echoing randomly from all parts of the seating. The echoes eventually became a slight clapping and loud clapping as Lorde ran back on stage and hold both her index fingers up to quieten the audience for her final song - a beautiful compilation of Loveless Generation and Writer In The Dark.

Lorde's concert was definitely well worth going. If you thought her songs were good listening to the radio or her album, her singing live was even better! She is a youthful old soul in the music world. She is truly unique. From a little girl playing with notes and seeing what she can come up with to a beautiful young woman thriving on the big stage, dancing as if nobody is watching with an overwhelmingly supportive audience.

_{Review written by Jenny Wan}

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