Although Lanie Lane may not be a household name yet, she still managed to sell out three shows at the Corner. Even confessing she wasn’t sure one show would sell enough tickets, Lane was pleasantly shocked by her Melbourne fan-base.

First up for the night was Steve Smyth. His eccentricity and energetic personality held the crowd’s attention as he sang a mixture of old blues tracks and his own original material. The most notable part of his performance was leaving the mic to sang a capella. Bringing listeners to complete silence, he broke out into a tune about being stuck in a jail cell and biding for a woman’s attention to bring him the key.

Next were The Rubens, playing their new tune ‘Stampy’, which is more hyper than their other songs thus far. Singer Sam Margin stated this was probably the biggest gig they had ever played, but they didn’t show any nerves, putting on a quality performance. Of course, there was a great response from the crowd when they played their well-known track, ‘Lay It Down’.

At last, the red velvet curtain opened again, as Lane’s set began with ‘What Do I Do’. With her trademark red lips, quiff hair-style, and novelty-sized heart and diamond rings, her stage presence is not a forgettable one.

She maintained her down to earth personality, conversing with the crowd about her realisation that it’s unnecessary to wear heels on stage, instead wearing boots and being able to dance. But not just any boots, making them ‘Lanie approved’ with bows and charms, proving these were much more practical, by throwing in a jump off the drum kit.

Throughout the set, Lane showcased her various talents, playing a combination of upbeat tracks and slower paced numbers. Asking the crowd if they wanted “a dancey one, to shake their hips,” she followed on with ‘Betty Baby’, and played the cover of  The Black Keys ‘Gold On The Ceiling’, which has more of a rock attitude. She also included tracks that showed off her vocal skills, with ‘To The Horses’ and ‘Heartbeat’, which she claimed is, “a bit of a tear jerker.”

There was a lot of love from the mixed ages crowd, with one punter yelling “I love you Laney,” to which she replied, ‘Thanks, but my names Lanie’, causing a roar of laughter from the audience.

The set finished with ‘Bang Bang’, the singer proclaiming, “we’re here to celebrate ‘Bangin’, so let’s do it,” then returned with her two-song encore. Firstly, a track written by her guitarist, ‘The Drug’; a mellow, emotion-provoking song quite different from her usual style and lastly, the catchy tune ‘Don’t Cry’.

Lane showed her ability to keep the crowd entertained and it’s easy to tell she’s passionate about her music, with the amount of emotion that goes into her singing and performance. She has something different and unique to offer, channelling a 50s style, but bringing it into the present. No doubt her next tour will be selling out shows in much larger venues.

– Cass Savellis

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