It may have been raining outside, but it was on fire inside Margret Court Arena on Friday the 31st of May. Amy Shark put on a memorable show for her sold out Melbourne crowd, the final leg of her tour. The arena was full to the brim with screaming fans by the time Amy graced the stage. It was great to see such a vast audience ranging in all ages at the show, full of both kids, couples, friends, mums and dads, Amy pulled everyone from all ages into the arena for the night. Going by the crowd’s enthusiasm, excitement and happiness that oozed even before the opening acts performed, it was obvious that everyone was eagerly waiting for the night to begin. Supporting acts Erthlings and Slowly Slowly opened the night perfectly, with amazing performances both vocally and visually.
Sydney girl band, Erthlings were the perfect act to open for the night. Their quirky songs, humble stage presence and overall confidence won over the crowd and honestly was so impressive. I was shocked to find out that these girls are only 16 years of age; they performed with such ease and coolness that it felt so mature and professional. Not knowing of any songs from Erthings before hand, I wasn’t familiar with any of their music, however, I quickly become a true fan after their set. Songs such as ‘Bridges’ and ‘Cuts and Bruises’ were performed and as much as I loved them, the only thing that let them down was the audio. Unfortunately the lead singer was drowned out by the drums, I wish the audio mix was better controlled as it was very difficult to make out exactly what the girls were singing and saying. I praise them for their performance however, it was amazing to see young Australian musicians show off their talents and yet be so humble about it.
Slowly Slowly came soon after and once again, I was happily surprised with their set. The up and coming Melbourne band gave an energy packed performance from start to finish. Belting out every song, the liveliness these boys exerted was amazing, seriously, just watching them throw themselves around for the duration of their set was tiring enough! These guys know how to perform. They not only know how to play their instruments well, they know how to interact with the audience. The interaction they had with the crowd was great, I felt it really stepped up from the first act in the sense that the audience was more included in every performance. Singing songs such as ‘Dinosaurs ‘, ‘Aliens’ and their reconstructed Triple J Like a Version cover of ‘Skinny Love’, Slowly Slowly kept the audience wanting more after they had left the stage.
After the 40 minute after the second opening act, the crowd finally got what they came for, Amy Shark! I am a huge fan of Amy and her story, but in all honestly, I left the concert being an even bigger fan. I have never been to a sell out concert before and seen the artist be so grateful and in awe of the crowd, it was so heart warming to see Amy stop and shake her head, hold her heart and take a moment to process how far she has come after every song performed. Killer vocals, killer stage presence, killer look… 7,500 sang along to every song performed, including ‘Mess Her Up’, ‘All Loved Up’, ‘I Said Hi’ and of course, ‘Adore’. Amy Shark stayed true to herself, wearing casual clothing and simple hair and makeup, nothing was over the top or over produced, the show was real and it really reflected her as a person. The connection Amy Shark created with the audience was also a notable, as her humorous stories and chats with the audience made us all feel like we were her friends and she trusted us with her “secrets.” What I loved the most was the finale, featuring atmospheric smoke, huge sparklers and an explosion of confetti falling from the ceiling, ending the show with a bang.
From busker to international recording artist, Amy Shark has come a long way and her show really took the audience on a journey and proved why she deserved to be where she is today. Every part of this concert was so fun and so effortless and it was a night everyone in that audience will never forget.
