It's Sunday night (2 October) at Princess Theatre in Brisbane and a very young crowd pushes in together, hoping to get just an inch closer to the front of the stage.
Some of these patrons have been lining up since 3pm, and you get the sense Jeremy Zucker has invoked a deep level of affection in his fans.Adam Melchor comes out to warm up the crowd, and boy are they in for a treat. His ridiculously smooth guitar picking and long, sentimental vocal notes awaken a hidden part of your heart. One female patron shouts: "I love you," from the crowd and he replies: "I think we're moving very fast."
"The weight of my cards on the table makes it unstable and rocks like a cradle," he sings. His voice is impeccable and moving as he hits his falsetto effortlessly. He strums furiously, building the intensity and it's hard to remember he is alone on stage.
"I've played at a lot of weddings and pizza parlours to the back of people's heads, so this is incredible," he shares.
Adam continues with an anecdote about writing a song 'on accident' with Charlie Puth, and it being the saddest song Charlie has ever written. Adam merges the tune with 'Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane and the crowd sings along.
Melchor is tender and engaging. His song 'Real Estate' is about finding your love's hair everywhere strikes the fine balance between sentimental and bouncy, with the guitar picking forging twisting melodies of its own.
His vocals are stunning – long, careful notes with deep connection. He is a real master of his craft. He exits and the stage is flooded blue as intense drone music plays for a considerable amount of time.
Finally orange pours in and Jeremy enters to deafening screams, and begins the gentle song 'We're F...ed It's Fine'. It's quite a contrast.
The drums kick in on 'Therapist' and the atmosphere gets moving. "Maybe I'm just a masochist," Zucker sings, and the crowd joins intensely.
The stage flashes red and yellow as he launches into 'All The Kids Are Depressed'. Zucker jumps around enthusiastically, and you can tell he is having a great time.
"This is my first time wearing shorts onstage," he shares. "This is just for you." The crowd is swooning.
'i70' begins to really start revving the energy. "Doesn't matter where I go," Zucker sings, showcasing some infectious guitar licks.
He tenderises with 'Always, I'll Care', and the blue lights create an ocean on the ceiling.
"I can feel it in my bones, sinking deeper in the overflow," Zucker starts on 'Better Off' and the crowd sings the backing vocals. It's very connected.
"This song was made with someone who lives not far from here," Zucker introduces his BENEE collaboration 'I'm So Happy'. "I live near here," a girl in the audience responds, and the crowd laughs. The song is instantly engaging, and bouncy.
'Not Ur Friend' is pumping, before becoming dreamlike and slow for 'Full Stop' and 'Julia', until the drums kick hard and the atmosphere is warm. The drumming is truly exceptional.
"I need to stop for a second and tell you how special this is to me," Zucker says, continuing with new song 'Internet Crush'. The phones are out as the crowd sways side to side. It's a nice moment.
'Somebody Loves You' continues the warmth as the trappy drums bounce. Suddenly the stage erupts into a rainbow shower as Jeremy jumps over to play the keyboard.
'Comethru' continues the vibes, as Zucker puts on some pink sunglasses that were thrown onto the stage. He teaches the crowd the next song, 'Cindy, I Promise', before racing into 'Honest'. The yellow sunburst lights break through as Zucker gives it his everything. "Just be honest with me babe," he screams.
Perhaps the happiest song of the night, 'This Is How You Fall In Love' is great. "You'll be my best friend until we grow old," Jeremy sings and it is very touching.
"Nobody knows you like I do," he continues heartfully with 'Cry With You'. His voice is soothing, and the song ends with some sentimental piano.
'You Were Good To Me' is in a similar vein, before '18' causes another crowd eruption as the lights flash a deep orange. 'Supercuts' has the entire crowd jumping off their feet before the obligatory stage exit.
Zucker returns for 'Oh, Mexico' and everyone claps, while the beat is infectiously dancey. He closes with 'Talk Is Overrated', abruptly running off the stage as a frenetic drum and organ solo end the set.
Jeremy's lyrics are sometimes warm, sometimes cold, overall sentimental and deeply emotional. One thing is sure, they connect in a powerful way with his adoring fans, who left all smiles.
Read our recent interview with Jeremy.
