Following local folk band The Paper Kites (who I unfortunately missed) Emma Louise was welcomed by a very convincing crowd at The Corner Hotel, more than I have ever seen for a support act at the venue. The petite Brisbane singer songwriter looked almost unrecognisable, who had changed her normally short blonde hair to long brunette locks. Louise’s confidence and audience appeal reflected how quickly her career advancing. Since I first saw her earlier this year, Louise’s stage presence has grown immensely and she entertains the crowd with quirky expressions and takes the time to explain the meaning behind each song. Louise took centre stage for most of the set, moving only to play keyboard for only the third time live ever on “To Keep Me Warm”. “Sudden Moon”, a song who according to Louise is about “a dude who cheated on my best friend” captivated the audience, along with crowd favourite “Jungle” that appeared second last in the set. Louise rounded out her set with “1000 Sundowns” which was written about her aunty whose partner since the age of sixteen recently passed away. It’s a beautiful song, and made for a special moment after hearing its meaning and watching the emotion Louise puts into the song.

Pyke and his three band members appeared to a sold out crowd, on tour to promote his third album Only Sparrows. Opening track was “Clovis’ Son”, one of the strongest from the new album. Pyke was careful not to focus too heavily on the new album, and included songs from his entire career. Fan favourite “The Summer” appeared second in the set, and the song’s poetic lyrics are even more impressive in a live setting. Pyke looked almost shocked at the amount of people singing along, who could be heard throughout the melodic track.

Pyke incessantly thanked the crowd throughout the set; not only for applauding but for the general support he has received from Melbourne. “It’s thanks to you guys I don’t have to work at the record store anymore”, he said after thanking the crowd for coming along to the show that sold out several weeks ago. As a further expression of his thanks, he dedicated “Make You Happy” to a group of loyal fans who have travelled to every one of the shows on this tour so far.

Despite looking very reserved in the first part of the set, Pyke loosened up considerably, making jokes to crowd and with fellow band members. Not rattled by the rude crowd goers who continually yelled out for “Middle Of The Hill” and to simply “play the song”, Pyke charmed the audience with tracks “Good Head Start”, Forever Song”, “Coffee Cups”, “Memories and Dust” “No One Wants A Lover” and “The Lighthouse Song”.

“Punch In The Heart” was one of the highlights of the set, with Emma Louise returning to the stage to sing the duet with Pyke, originally recorded by Katy Steele of Little Birdy. The artists’ voices created perfect harmonies together and made my appreciation for the song even greater than on the recording.

Pyke’s most well known track “Middle Of The Hill” appeared late in the set, and was definitely the most well received song of the night. Despite playing the track numerous times before, Pyke performed the song proudly and without any signs of boredom.

Due to the presence of fans who had already seen Pyke’s shows during this tour, he unashamedly confessed there was “only a couple more songs…before the encore.” When he reappeared after a short amount of applause Pyke quipped, “Why do we play these games?” Considering that the vast majority of hits had been played in the main portion of the set, the encore was almost anti-climatic. Although receiving great applause for early songs “Kids Don’t Sell Their Hopes So Fast” and “Silver”, it appeared the crowd were almost drained by the one hour and half set. However, Pyke quickly turned it around for the final track, “Love Lies”- the only track he performed entirely solo the whole evening. Calling it his favourite off the new album, it was the perfect way to conclude the night. The song finished with a looped recording of Pyke’s voice, which was enchanting.

Pyke and Louise made for a very enjoyable night at The Corner Hotel. Pyke’s diverse set list was appreciated by long time fans, and gave the audience an insight into one of the country’s finest ever songwriters.