Pop singer, Charley, is a superstar in the making. Her home support slot on the Sydney leg of the Griff tour is sure to spark her career into a fully fledged flame – after all, she’s now just one degree of separation away from Taylor Swift and that’s not something many Australian artists can boast.
Her set included a procession of well-written heartbreak tracks from her 2023 EP, TIMEBOMBS, and she certainly had a stage presence that kept the swelling early crowd engaged. Her cover of MUNA’s “Silk Chiffon” was a well-chosen inclusion in the set and performed well – an easy goal for the crowd that were certainly of the right demographic to enjoy her glistening pop-rock tracks. The rock part is relevant because the music itself was well supported by a live drummer, guitarist and keyboardist that elevated the performance to something more than a tentative or vulnerable pop set – these were powerful and empathic tracks. The night was another huge step in the path of a promising and hard-working Australian pop star.
As previously mentioned, the elevation of Griff to global superstar status has been hugely propelled by her well documented (and reviewed) support slots of Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium earlier in the year, but this is in juxtaposition to her music and performance. There’s not even a slight indication of ego from her performance let alone boasting – in fact, almost the opposite. Her on-stage personality felt suitably reflective of her 23 years along with the fact that her debut studio album was just one month old.
Vertigo, from which we would hear all but one of the album tracks, (“Hole In My Pocket” slipped through the cracks) is a beautifully crafted and lyrically sublime record, deserving more accolades than it has received since release (avoid Pitchfork). The combination of nostalgia, pop quirks, heart and vulnerability ensure that this record represents Griff in a way that is not only endearing, but accurate.
It takes just a few tracks before we get an insight in the personality of the ‘Brits Rising Star’ winner of 2021 as she recalls the fact that she witnessed fellow Brit, Raye, on the same stage she was currently occupying. At the time, she told herself she’d love to play the Enmore stage and here, just over six months later she was playing to a sold-out crowd. This immediately draws us in – she is living her dreams right there and we are all a part of it. Something not lost on the adoring crowd.
The set itself was a journey through her relatively small career, but there are already enough variation of style and genre that you would believe she’s a more mature act. Switching between guitar, keys, a vocoder device and an acoustic, she shows a breadth of talent and in-turn kept us interested.
Despite her rising star, the aforementioned vulnerability is never far from the surface and if the set was intended to be a little raw and at times clunky, it added to the appeal and likeability of the artist. At one point, she asked the crowd to part as her small stature made its way into the middle of the Enmore Theatre and there, elevated on a platform, she played three acoustic solo numbers with an enthralled crowd around her. It was certainly a highlight and not something that is oft seen in the hallowed Enmore.
On return she had some technical issues with her in-ear pack, followed by a looper pedal that wouldn’t play nice and we shared in her honest disappointment, but it in no way detracted from her performance – in fact, we felt even closer to her.
The folk stylings made way for her biggest banger, “Miss Me Too” followed by set closer, “Anything”. Her dash off-stage was temporary, however, before returning for a beautifully sweet rendition of “Astronaut”, which – when performed live – gave the song a life that the album version does not.
“Tears For Fun” rounded out the set and it felt suitable joyous but emotional as Griff, continuing to flit around the stage energetically, encouraged the crowd to join in the singing, rounding it out with a triumphant refrain in perfect sync with her (very good) band.
Griff is an artist that’s hard not to like and even if you don’t know her, there’s a feeling that you will very soon – and that’s an excellent thing.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Griff’s Australian tour concludes in Melbourne on Saturday the 17th of August at the Northcote Theatre. Tickets are sold out.
She then travels to New Zealand to play Auckland’s Powerstation on Monday the 19th of August. (Tickets available)
