Picture this - you've just attended a portrait portfolio building workshop at the Botanic Gardens. You walk by foot all the way to the Lansdowne, but you stop over at Macca's for food at Central. Hence, you have plans sorted for the Saturday night at The Lansdowne. The purpose? To watch Charley perform a headline show.
When I arrived at the venue 2 hours before the doors opened, there were at least nine very eager fans who have been waiting. I was the 10th person in the queue, though I was getting nervous when the queue got longer and longer. And sure enough, I managed to secure the front row once I got my ticket scanned and received a stamp on my right hand.
First to perform is DJ Nic Kelly, who got the crowd hyped up from the get go. One of the things I enjoyed about his performance in how he's enjoying himself. Whether he's waving his hands, stepping with his right foot or bopping/jumping up and down, he looked very enthusiastic with his job. His 30 minute set is nicely curated to prove that Saturday nights are worth partying along to.
Next to perform is Dennis, who is the representation of being eclectic in style and stage presence. Her necklaces have given me a vibrant first impression. She moved around the stage with eclectic delicacy which got me and the fans bopping and grooving. Though, Dennis looked like she's having a powerful time on stage whenever she's on the mic stand and moving her arms like a natural wind. All thanks to the lighting which put her on the spotlight. Accompanying her is Luke Didio, who added a rock spin to each song with his stunning drumming. Dennis represents two feelings: one, vulnerability through expressing her raw emotions, and two, passion, through moving around and where she's making eye contact. She warmed up everyone for Charley's set very well.
Headliner Charley glowed and shimmered on stage to celebrate the release of her recent 6-track EP "Timebombs". Her eclectic stage presence made her feel powerful and radiantly exquisite. Thus, her vocal articulation and projections are quite strong, which made me, the fans and audience sing, shout, yell and even scream the lyrics back at her feasibly well. What grabbed my attention with Charley's set is that even though she has a health problem in relation to her throat, she still managed to put on a show. She did not back out, nor postpone/cancel the show despite being "unbelievably sick". Her supportive fans and audience made her night feel even more special. This was prominent during "Burnout" and "Running Wild". At first, I wondered why she wasn't singing for 70% of the song, but once she professionally explained about her health situation, we all understood.
Accompanying Charley is Cam Nacson who gave a passionate, energetic performance on guitar; Lola Scott who had a dazzling performance on guitar also; and Jack Robert, who nearly stole the show by putting on multiple Mangini/Portnoy style drum fills across multiple songs and for giving all his energy and strength without any signs of slowing down. Hence, Charley's Dad accompanied her during her cover of "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, which had the entire audience screaming along the lyrics back at her passionately.
Cody Jon, who had a bubbly stage appearance and personality, made a special guest appearance in "Dirty Dancing", which was the song which got me into Charley in the first place. Their duet is very dynamic, which even had Charley doing a little twirl while holding Cody.
Hence, Gretta Ray and Cyrus (X Factor Winner) accompanied Charley to perform an acoustic rendition of "Stupid Thing To Say", which was the last track off her Timebombs EP.
Although the night finished strong with two severely dedicated fans right next to me giving flowers to Charley at the end of her set, I am keen and looking forward to what she does next. Hence, I wish Charley a full and speedy recovery.
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