Lyall Moloney is an alien in both his physical appearance and his melting pot of musical talent. The Bearded Lady seems the only venue fortunate enough to house such an alien. Walking through the narrow bar corridor out to the back gig room felt as though I was being welcomed into LYMO'S reggae infused lounge room. 

As a Sticky Fingers enthusiast, I was first introduced to LYMO's killer groove ‘Black Dog’ during his pre show act back in 2014. Since then I have caught him at a number of different events but never on his own headlining tour.

So, to set the mood - it's a casual Thursday night at the bustling Bearded Lady in West End. The gig room is chill in atmosphere but fiery in temperature. After Neon Queen performed a smooth opening set, the long-limbed alien hiding under a wide brimmed fedora was welcomed to the stage by a room of applause, yewing and yahooing. In the past, Lyall has performed live behind two keyboards, exhibiting his maestro multi tasking and looping skills. However, all who experienced his gig at The Bearded Lady were treated to a Neon Queen backing band accompaniment.   

Lyall and his band cruised through tracks from both The Architect and his 2015 album Only Lonely, with a few of my personal highlights being: ‘Go That Low', 'Pot of Gold' and 'Running for You'. The crowd were captivated by his island, funky, house grooves and were cutting some serious shapes along with every tune. It would have been difficult not to dance. Toward the end of his set, he busted out his latest single 'If You Don't Love Me' with his falsetto vocals layering over the top of bouncing drums and an immaculately integrated DJ horn (which is definitely not easy to pull off). 

Returning for an encore which included ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Party Don't Stop’ - Lyall immersed the crowd in his musical passion by inviting punters to join him on the stage throughout his final track, 'The Architect'. Finally, the night would not be complete without Lyall's trademark soulful howl and preaching of final wise words. 

I'm not sure that my wordsmithery has done justice for the feels experienced at Lyall Moloney's gig - but I guarantee that if you like having a good time and listening to groovy trax you will enjoy yourself some LYMO. 

- Luci McAfee