It's a beautiful Sunday night (9 October) in Brisbane and the line is around the block waiting to enter The Triffid to witness mxmtoon.
Indie artist grentperez gets the crowd moving, singing "if I ever grow old". Jazzy chords ring out over his sweet falsetto. The crowd swing their arms and everyone is vibing.He gets the crowd to sing "I'm with you, just us two," and the mood is super high. "I'm gunna bring the mood down a bit, maybe even cry," he says. "No!" the crowd yells back. They're very engaged.
He sings 'Clementine' and couples slow dance to the rhythm. He then separates the crowd and has them chant 'm', 'x', 'm' and 'toon' by sections. His energy is warm and infectious.
"Can I get some head bops on this one?" he asks. He then pretends to play trumpet on the microphone and it doesn't sound half bad. If you're not smiling by now, nothing can help you.
Waiting for mxmtoon, the crowd is singing to the sound tech's tracks like 'Shut Up And Dance' passionately. It's hard to remember a gig so fun in some time.
The lights dim to rapturous applause and chants of mxmtoon's name. After a spoken word intro over the speakers, she enters to deafening screams.
She commences with 'Fallin For You', waving her hands. The crowd is crazily infatuated with the songstress.
"We're gunna start it off strong," she says. "Does anyone know 'Frown'?" I don't think a single person here doesn't know every word of her songs. "It's ok to frown," she sings. "I'll be just fine," and everything is.
"Are you ready for 'Sad Disco'?" she asks and a disco light shoots over the crowd. The song sports an ABBA-esque piano roll and you're struck by the high calibre of mxmtoon's songwriting.
"I feel like I can be myself. You people are the best people ever," she says intimately.
'No Faker' starts with red flashing lights. "I am no faker," she sings. These are perfect pop songs, you are singing them within 20 seconds of hearing them for the first time.
After having the crowd chant "hey", she strums sadly on her ukulele. The blue lights swing behind her like a swing set, as the guitarist strums an impressive solo.
'Seasonal Depression' begins on a bed of rain sounds, before yellow beams of light flash for 'Learn To Love You' and the catchy guitar riff rings around your ears. mxmtoon is very California – beachy, energetic and cool.
'Fever Dream' starts on a red sea. "I want something more than, more than restless mornings," she sings and it's so catchy and enjoyable, aural candy.
mxmtoon is left alone on stage with her ukulele for an acoustic set beginning with 'I Feel Like Chet'. "This song is based on a Chet Baker song. It's about me crushing on people I know nothing about." The phones come out to light up the sky.
"My feelings are fatal," she sings delicately and you remember that the people in this room are the only ones experiencing this moment in time. Gratitude washes over you to be a part of it.
She introduces 'Florida' as the song she wrote for her grandfather, who never got to hear it. It is a touching moment.
Following in the family vein, she shares the story of her father asking to have a song written about him. She told him to send a voicemail: "Just say hi or something." 'Victim Of Nostalgia' features the entire voicemail, which is simply him saying "Hello?".
'Coming Of Age', inspired by 'Everything Is Awesome' from 'The Lego Movie', is a welcome return to toe-tapping energy.
"Every time the lighting changes the whole city rearranges, I can't find familiar without you," she sings from 'Bon Iver'. "Even when the sun goes down," and the bass hits you deep in the chest.
'Prom Dress' starts the encore with a deep bass intro and ballerina box melody. "I guess I maybe had a couple expectations," she sings, but mxmtoon exceeded ours. The crowd screams the last chorus and it is ugly beautiful.
"I wanna be a Mona Lisa," she sings to conclude, and this song is just as beautiful. The show flew by in what felt like ten minutes, and the vibrant, loving atmosphere it created lingers as the crowd disperses.
