Brisbane Powerhouse delivers Women In Voice #25 with talented ladies such as Pearly Black, Carita Farrer Spencer, Alison St Ledger and Ellen Reed, as well as Bridget Boyle, comedic side-kick and MC for the night. The singers not only brought in the talent, the big notes, the tingles - but they also brought a flavour with them on the stage.

From country flare to a nod to well-known musical Hair and soulful sounds to a killer diva performance, there was plenty to enjoy. With impressive covers, original material and the women killing it with fabulous outfits, backing vocals that sounded almost angelic, and a rocking band, the show proved easy to get into.

Each performer and act brought something new to the table with their own style of music, theme and costume. A few of the well-known classic hits that were performed included Reed’s cover of 'When A Man Loves A Woman', in which she turns the tables on typical gender roles, and Spencer’s 'All By Myself' performed with a comedic flare as she played diva, with an upside down bottle of vodka on a drip. Not only did the changing styles of music, costume, lighting and themes carry the show effortlessly but the audience was able to enjoy some comedic breaks throughout.

Just when you thought all jokes had settled and it was time to say goodbye, Spencer comes along and declares she is in love with the audience and wants a marriage between herself and the crowd. The main theme consisting of the audience saying ‘Yes’ and referencing the current situation regarding Marriage Equality. Not only was this an exciting aspect to the show, but it reflected the current socio-political situation and demonstrated that art can be fun, switched on and have political awareness within the show, making it a fun engagement (quite literally) with the audience.

Bridget Boyle put on a character for the show and one that wasn’t the best at singing, but was enthusiastic nonetheless, and this character got the whole room laughing. After all the laughs were done, Boyle came out on stage at the end, as herself, to sing a final few songs with all the women standing together. Not only was this show special in the sense that it brought female voices together but it celebrated 25 years of this, and we all hope for many more to come.

By Joanna Letic