Mahalia + Adrian Eagle @ 170 Russell 04-02-20
review & photos: Sarah Rix @sarahrix
Review
“…The 21-year-old had little to prove – the audience firmly in her pocket from the get-go.”
If Mahalia’s sold out Tuesday night set at 170 Russell is an indication of anything, it’s that the Billie Eilish affect is well underway.
Traditional pop stars are taking a backseat; the mass market of Gen Z is instead embracing the down-to-earth, atypical, this-could-be-you stylings of the artists that seem to be figuring it out for themselves. Based on Mahalia’s second appearance in Melbourne, with a youthful audience singing back word-for-word and lapping up her Instagram-caption stage banter, it’s pretty clear there’s a generous market for the quote-unquote outsiders of the music industry to find favour with.
Adrian Eagle
Australia’s Adrian Eagle opened the night with his brand of homegrown soul – pandering to the crowd from the get-go with a cover of Ocean Alley’s 2018 Hottest 100 winner “Confidence”.
Shouting out an audience of artists, thanking Mahalia for supporting homegrown talent, and repeated finishes of “big love” were all genuine interactions with the audience – Eagle very much in the “preaching positivity” camp. It made the delivery of lyrics like “I’ve come a long way from the Adelaide housing trust” (off “Housing Trust”) and “check your Aussie ego” (from “17 Again” – a tune in which he delves into his upbrginging) all the more impactful.
While Eagle is perhaps not at the stage in his career yet where throwing out a used towel into the audience is met with anything other than confusion, it was heartening to see just how much he was enjoying himself.
Adrian Eagle
Mahalia
Hailing from Leicestershire, England, Mahalia’s second headlining show in Melbourne was part of her visit to down under as part of the Laneway 2020 lineup. The 21-year-old had little to prove – the audience firmly in her pocket from the get-go – but performed like she was having the time of her life and as if she was about to become best friends with absolutely every single person in the room.
She’s a natural performer and it all adds to the appeal – as much as she’d refer to herself as an R&B princess (half jokingly, half deservedly), she’s hugely approachable, appreciative, and willing to share words of wisdom.
Mahalia
Songs from 2019’s Love and Compromise made up the setlist – the upbeat “Simmer” and “Karma” (written as an outlet when a boy she liked got a girlfriend and she began making inevitable “why her instead of me?” comparisons) both finding early favour with the appreciative crowd. Meanwhile “He’s Mine”, for all its strut-worthy delivery, may as well be this generation’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” by Blu Cantrell.
“Consistency” was also excellent – on it, Mahalia had the chance to let her vocals (which are legitimately great and reason to see her enough) shine.
Mahalia
She’s an excellent performer and uses the stage well, but if there’s one thing to say it’d be that it would be nice for her to add something else to the show. The dynamic between her and her two-piece backing band was minimal, so perhaps the addition of a backup vocalist or would give her something to bounce off of a bit more.
Mahalia
If you’re also going to see her, you’ll also need to know that Mahalia’s going to talk. A lot. She warned the crowd about it two songs in – but really, she does like to talk. Whether it’s to tell the crowd about the inspirations behind certain songs or to preach confidence and patience or to tell the audience she doesn’t believe in encores (or bras for that matter), just note that it’s the Mahalia show and you’re just there for the ride.
Luckily that ride involves plenty of fodder for Instagram story, though. As she finished with “I Wish I Missed My Ex”, a song about not regretting the end of a relationship, 170 Russell lit up with phones held aloft. Evidence again that Mahalia has most definitely tapped into the cultural milieu.
Mahalia
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