It was an empowering night of young female talent at Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel on Saturday. Mackay-local Tia Gostelow brought along vocal-powerhouses Lola Scott and MANE to support her sold-out show, and boy was it a showcase for the books!
Lola Scott’s dark-indie pop offered a dramatic and energetic start to the evening. Her performance drew strength from her tight vocal performance and could only be improved by a more confident stage presence. However, this was compensated by her two back-up dancers – an unusual move for such a small venue, but a successful one. Dressed in black mesh mini-dresses and a serious demeanour, her dancers gave the stage some dominance (and even whipped out bubbles partway through!). It was only towards the end of her set that Lola picked up her guitar, which left me wanting it earlier. Regardless, her music was the perfect soundtrack to start the night.
Next on stage was MANE, accompanied by her two-piece band. Perhaps the most significant of MANE’s talents is her ability to connect with her audience and bridge the wall between crowd and performer. Although her banter was short, she was incredibly humble and warming – a dichotomy that also extends to her haunting alto tunes. Her voice is uniquely molten but also shockingly vulnerable, which was the main distinction between her set and Lola’s. If you haven’t heard MANE, I would strongly recommend hitting play on “Chasing Butterflies” or “Save Yourself” immediately.
The 19-year-old Tia Gostelow packed out the venue to record her Triple J Live At The Wireless set. With a band dressed in all-white and Tia in black, the opening image was chic. At the top of her performance was “Hunger” rolling straight into “Giants”, setting the bar high for the rest of the night. And you better believe it stayed there. Her show was solid – confident and vocally just like the recordings, with nothing to fault for a performance to that capacity.
The highlight of the night was, of course, when Lanks joined her on stage for their third ever performance together of “Strangers”, a track which made it to #172 on the Hottest 100 last month. It was a special moment to say the least and it felt very significant to watch the two perform together. She closed the night with “Phone Me” for a no-bullshit no-encore end. It was excellent, it was perfect, and the crowd enjoyed every last minute.
At such a young age, it’s exciting to see where Tia will end up. With a jam-packed year ahead and my money on a Breakthrough Artist nod at the 2019 ARIAs, she is one of the hottest to watch.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
For remaining tour dates and tickets, visit Tia’s website.
March 1st | Brisbane | The Zoo
March 2nd | Maroochydore | Sol Bar
The reviewer attended the show at the Lansdowne Hotel on February 24th.
