By Georgie Wilkie,

Young Tasmanian pop star Asta has slowly been becoming one of the most exciting up and coming Australian artists, and her Debut EP and live show is a great example to why. Her Shine EP dropped on Friday and is, to be honest, a perfect pop record. Its full of raw emotion and funk, and every single track holds its own. The EP has been a long time coming but it has been worth the wait for such a timeless, electric body of work.

Friday also saw Asta kick off the first show of the national Shine tour at Jack Rabbit Slims in Perth, and if you haven’t got a ticket to the rest of the dates, I can’t recommend it enough.

Kicking off the show was local multi-instrumentalist Angus Dawson, warming the crowd up with his moody mellow electronica. Despite the crowd being small early on, he put on a great set, with many of the tracks from his upcoming EP due to drop March 31. Angus’ sets are usually found jam packed with full swelling sounds from his band but this set was solo and stripped back but just as impressive and enchanting. Someone in the crowd said his set reminded them of a Lava Lamp, and to be honest it’s a perfect reference. It was bubbly, calming and full of specks of glittery pop and silky vocals.

Having seen local duo Phocal perform once before in Perth, I thought I knew what to expect, but I couldn’t have prepared myself for their set. They warned that they would be taking us on a journey throughout the set, and they sure delivered. Commanding frontwoman Pho delivered beautiful captivating, soulful vocals throughout their funk infused original tracks and had the crowd moving instantly. The talented due also put electric and expressive touch on both Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness and Flight Facilities Crave You, which had a few people enthusiastically screaming the lyrics back to the stage. These guys are definitely ones to keep an eye on in 2017 with fingers crossed that we will see a follow up to their 2016 debut EP, just around the corner.

It’s a beautiful thing to witness a performance that has everyone in the audience beaming.

From the moment Asta stepped onto the stage, right up till the encore, this is what happened. OH BOY, that woman born to perform!

Her set was constantly exciting with every song bringing out another side to her unique and captivating vocals and stage presence. Although the crowd wasn’t huge, they were incredibly supportive, singing every word to her biggest hits Shine and Dynamite, as well as her fresher tracks. The front row in particular were incredibly happy to be there, especially one man who had his hand on his heart for most of the set, looking up at Asta in awe.

Most of the set was new material from her freshly released Shine EP, but there were also some of her older releases in the mix including I Need Answers and My Heart Is On Fire which were great sing along throwbacks for her original fans.

The thing about Asta’s live show, is that she isn’t just a singer with a live band, she is a complete performer. She feels the music she is singing and expresses it in her facial expressions and funky dance moves that transport you back to the 80’s. You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, or anyone else’s, especially during her encore performance of the Triple J Like a Version she performed back in 2015, I Wanna Dance with Somebody. She had the crowd swaying along while her soaring vocals filled the room. I wouldn’t be alone in saying that I had goose bumps at that point. She even directed the mic into the audience for a huge sing along with the intimate crowd which had everyone grinning if they weren’t already.

Such an incredible gig for Asta of course couldn’t happen without her support acts and her band, and she graciously made a point to thank them. Don’t miss Asta on the rest of her Shine Tour all around the country, it’s a gig that you sure won’t forget. Check out the dates below: