Ladyhawke, Metro Theatre, July 18

Ladyhawke, Metro Theatre, July 18

Ladyhawke’s recently released sophomore album Anxiety may have been met with a muted response from casual listeners, but the Kiwi singer-songwriter (real name Pip Brown) had more than enough rusted on fans to fill out Sydney’s Metro last night.

An unassuming “Hello” as she graced the stage was all it took to get the audience eating out of her hand – of course, it helped that she opened with one of her best songs, the Stevie Nicks-esque Back of the Van.

While the new album’s lo-fi indie-rock sound stands in stark contrast to the shiny electro pop of her debut, the two albums gel more easily in a live setting. Current album highlights like Blue Eyes, power ballad Cellophane and the anthemic Black White and Blue all shone.

Still, there was no denying the power of some of her earlier hits when it came to galvanizing the crowd. The audience erupted during the opening bars of first album classics like Magic, Dusk Til Dawn and Paris Is Burning.

Throughout, it was evident that the nervous, slightly unengaging Pip of early performances was long gone, replaced by an unlikely pop star who radiated an endearingly awkward charm.

Wisely, Brown saved the best til last, finishing the tight, 90-minute set with a rousing rendition of her biggest hit to date, the near-perfect My Delirium.

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