Live Review: Ayla w/ The Gruvs, Banter Club, & The Wandering Lost @ The Zoo

The crowd was lined up well before doors at Ayla’s headline show at Brisbane’s The Zoo, making a warm reception for opening act The Gruvs. Early in their set, summery shoegaze guitar and dreamy harmonies had the crowd settling into an easy rhythm. The obvious chemistry between them and the catchy melody of Red Hill heated the room, balanced by dreamy slow jam I’ll Be Just Fine. The  drummer maintained a lazy rhythm with precision while the others worked up a sweat, the bassist flipping his hair as though he were possessed.

Next up was Banter Club, and frontwoman Emily Taylor’s vocals were a stand out right from the beginning. Playing to a room full of friends and fans, they delivering an impressively tight and passionate set – their deliciously theatrical performance brought Green Day’s thrashing rock style together with the angst and powerful vocals of Evanescence. They closed with a solid performance of Shiver, maintaining a delicate balance of elements and an entertaining yet gimmick-free performance style.

“The crowd thinned out as time went on and it was almost 11pm when Ayla finally took the stage, only semi-ironically opening with Waiting.”

Banter Club’s closing number was still ringing in the air when The Wandering Lost took the stage, but they wasted no time wiping the slate clean with energetic guitar riffs and rhythms. Lead guitarist Blake Gannon’s charisma kept all eyes on the stage as he threw himself into the set, not to be outdone by second guitarist Kathryn Bermingham’s epic hair-flipping action. While the quintet made sure every instrument played an important role, nothing could have outshone frontwoman Elle Scott’s stunning falsetto. The crowd ebbed and flowed in time with each track, left buzzing by the irresistibly angsty melody of Bridges.

The crowd thinned out as time went on and it was almost 11pm when Ayla finally took the stage, only semi-ironically opening with Waiting. Her quiet confidence drew the crowd in from the edges of the room, and a passionate performance of House On A Hill was more than enough to keep them there. Ayla’s easy performance style carried through Heaven as she swayed from side to side, guided by the rhythm, but when exhaustion took its toll on weary punters, it was up to her back-up singer to pump them up just in time for her new single Like The Other Kids. While her falsetto was as pure as ever, the modern feel of the track showed diversity and adaptability, and it wasn’t wasted on the crowd. Synth man Tom Swinton was having almost too much fun on the maraccas, encouraging the front row to mirror his energy.

Ayla put her guitar down for When The World Ends, pouring all of her focus into those distinctive vocals and she relishing the freedom of spreading her arms, if only for one song. The delicate chorus harmonies in her triple j Like A Version cover of Hunters & Collectors’ Throw Your Arms Around Me almost stole the show, but Wish I Was brought the night home in style. The clock seemed no longer an issue as the familiar drum rhythms of the track inspired a second wave of energy amongst the crowd.

With less than an hour at her disposal, Ayla proved once again that she is not Like The Other Kids – Brisbane can only hope that she doesn’t keep us Waiting too long for her next release.

Ayla Live Dates 

FRI 21 OCT
Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
SAT 22 OCT
The Penny Black, Melbourne

Get Tickets HERE