I spent the best times of my formative years adventuring into a multitude of venues, gigs, and shows. These gave me many fond memories of meeting up with friends, going out and enjoying our mutual interest: music. We'd goof, groove and galivant to see any act that came crashing through our scene; local heroes and intrepid bands out on tour. All ages gigs at venues the likes of the Tuning Fork were few and far between, so to see such a passionate and fantastic turn out for these up-and-comers was an experience truly encapsulated by one word: wholesome.

Paige was up first; an acoustic RnB singer-songwriter who recently was thrust into the laurels of international recognition when Billie Eilish, a fellow young pop sensation shared Paige's music, stating it was her favourite. She's certainly deserving of this attention, her style is sincere and catchy, offering up an interesting approach to the singer/songwriter genre and she performs it well on stage.

Bene was the next act to perform - she was rocking a matching mustard yellow suit while her band were all sporting golden plastic crowns, altogether they were undoubtedly rulers of their musical court. Bene's been on a roll of musical advancement lately, featuring on the line-up for the brilliant Others Way festival and she has been announced for the St. Jerome's Laneway festival in 2019.

Bene's performance showcased that she was both prepared and well deserving of the attention and praise. She's cool and groovy; her funky pop-tunes combined with her attitude of genuine and sincere excitement at performing locked the audience into her fantastic energy and kept them captivated right to the end. She played off the crowd with her banter, having a fun attitude, dropping quips and comments throughout the performance, and even breaking down in a giggly shouting match with a few punters. All in all, her performance left me with a certainty that I will be checking her music out in the future.

Daffodils were the final act of the night - they're a relatively new group with this night being both their first show in which they are headliners and the first time they've sold out a show, accolades of which they are very much deserving. I first heard about Daffodils when a good friend of mine simply wouldn't stop talking about them for a week and I honestly can't blame her. Well-polished was an understatement of their performance, they had all the good ingredients for a fantastic show; the banter was off-the-cuff and amusing, each of the different members shined through their instruments, and everyone at the venue had a fantastic time.

There's something truly special in witnessing an artist hearing a crowd belting out their lyrics for the first time, front man Theo Salmon happily said, "We didn't even have to ask you to sing along". Theo was also continuously and profusely thanking the crowd for being there tonight, making for a complete wholesome package. Where Daffodils go next with their sound and musical direction is up in the air but after their success in recently gigs, they've certainly got the momentum to go places along with the attention of many, myself included.


Review written by Rupa Kelly
Photos provided by Taylor Conboy

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