Live Review

ASTA @ The Foundry

When Asta takes the stage at 10.30pm I can feel the bass and synths pulse through me.  On her latest EP Shine, Asta has perfected that empowering 90s pop sound.  And she totally embodies this aesthetic. Wearing shaded sunglasses and dressed head to toe in pink against a purple washed stage, Asta is giving off serious Christina Aguilera or Anastasia vibes.  There’s something about the way she belts these tunes and her infectious energy.  Asta moves like a star.  Asta is a star.

In addition to her amazing stage presence, Asta demonstrates her strong understanding of the pop craft.  Her tunes are simply addictive; they catch you in the verse, bringing you up into the chorus and explode with an epic crescendo of sound.  Her song writing is on par with peers like Lorde or Angel Olsen.  I don’t know why Asta isn’t more famous, but I think her day will come.

As Asta performs, pulsing synths keep the dance vibes going strong.  Accompanied by a drummer, bassist and dual-wielding guitarist who effortlessly switches between synths and his primary instrument, the whole performance feels seamless as an excellent pop show should be. 

Midway through the set Asta begins to sing, Heart on Fire, one of her older tunes. This is met with a roar of approval from the crowd.  In this particular rendition the beat is sped up like a house or club hit and the intro is slightly different.   Asta also has the word heart recorded and looped underneath her vocals for a different take on the tune.

Asta clearly has a supportive fan base in Brisbane with the audience singing along to every word.  At times Asta comes across very overwhelmed by the support and claims that tonight is the best reaction she had received throughout the tour so far.

As I’m dancing along I can see a sea of phones and snap chat recordings in the air in front of me trying to capture every moment. The evening feels so polished and professional; it could easily be an expensive upscale club gig rather than an intimate indie gathering.

Asta is an amazing performer and really engages the crowd with every note sung and every move danced. The whole night feels like a blur that’s over way too quickly.  I don’t want the night to end but somehow so much time has passed and the set is nearly over.

As Asta and her band leave the stage, chants of, “One more song!” echo across the venue.  Of course Asta obliges and comes back on stage.  Keeping things interesting, she belts out a flawless rendition of I Wanna Dance With Somebody, a throwback to the Triple J Like a Version cover she performed recently.  All I can say is Whitney Houston eat your heart out.  It’s a bold choice of a cover and you really need to have the chops to make it work.  But Asta hits those notes better than I’ve heard them in a very long time.  As she hits the final words of the song, Asta stuns the crowd with an amazing display of vocal gymnastics and then ends to thunderous applause.

The encore is concluding but the one song we haven’t heard yet is Dynamite.  And Asta does not disappoint.  As she sings the first few words of the hit tune the crowd lose themselves.  Asta warns she doesn’t have a rapper in house to perform All Days verse – however she hands the microphone to a front row punter who shockingly nails every line.  As she leaves the stage for the final time, Asta promises to come back out and say hello to everyone who came out tonight.  An incredible way to end her set and an incredible night.  Asta please come again soon. 

-Sarah McGowan

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