Recap: The Voice Australia Live Show #1

[small_title title=”Written in collaboration with Guvera, where you can now stream all the action from last night’s performances. Words by Michael Wilton.”]

Choir, Tap dancing, Fire, Neon Cactuses, and some voices to match…

The first episode of 2015’s The Voice Live shows aired last night, and it was a mixed bag of musical and visual entertainment. Some well and truly blew the roof off, while others buckled a little under the pressure. That pressure was very real though, as The Coaches were able to save just 1 Artist each from their teams, while the rest is down to the viewer.

[blockquote author=”Jessie J” pull=”pullright”]“I feel very protective of you, but I want you to enjoy this!” [/blockquote]Jessie handpicked the youngest artist in history to ever make it to The Voice Live shows, Ellie Drennan, to perform first.  No pressure. In rehearsal, Jessie revealed: “I feel very protective of you, but I want you to enjoy this!” and that’s exactly what the teenager did, performing Lorde’s ‘Team’. Great song choice, great performance, and some very encouraging words from Jessie.

Jessie felt that school teacher, Cath Adams was “a bit headache-y” in rehearsal. On stage though, while Cath started slowly, she finally found her feet and delivered a gutsy rendition of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think’.  Jessie said, “Cath really challenged me and I challenged Cath,” and the results certainly paid off.

Soulful singer Simi Vuata has been holding back a little, but he tackled Kate Bush’s ‘This Woman’s Work’ with passion and vulnerability, even though Jessie told him,  “I know you can sing it better than that,” and that he needed to work on his nerves and artistry.

Mum and mum-to-be Amber Nichols was given a challenge by Jessie to be “fearless”, and while her purple hair was all kinds of amazing, she struggled with her breathing during her performance of ‘Teardrops’. Hey, with a baby almost ready to be born, that’s kind of to be expected!

After varied preferences from the other Coaches – The Maddens couldn’t even make a joint decision – proud-as-punch Jessie saved Ellie and awarded her a free pass to next week’s shows.

Up next, Delta gave reggae singer Rik-E-Ragga a Maroon 5 song to perform, and although ‘One More Night’ is well out of Ragga’s laneway, he delivered one of the standout performances of the night. The studio and the Coaches were dancing, and Rik-E-Ragga proved his versatility on the spot!

Nicolas Duquemin has battled with his confidence, and while Delta wanted him to be strong, his performance of ‘King’ by Years & Years was marred by nerves and a lack of self-belief.  After his performance, Ricky had some wise words for the young singer: “Just enjoy yourself, man!”

22 year-old Melbourne singer has extensive experience in theatre, and Delta was worried he’d rely on that theatricality, so she really wanted him to tap into his vulnerable side, and that he did. Wearing a fetching white suit, and backed by a heavenly choir, his performance of ‘Start Again’ was outstanding.

Lyndall Wennekes has struggled to show her individual style, so her challenge was not to mimic Christina Aguilera during her performance of ‘Candy Man’.  Even though the tap dancing from Christina’s video was replicated on stage, Lyndall added her own style to the song, and had everyone up on their feet. Even The Maddens admitted they were tap dancing!

The Maddens felt Rik-E-Ragga was the strongest from Team Delta, Ricky chose Caleb, Jessie couldn’t decide, but Delta ultimately saved Caleb to go straight through to next week because he truly stretched himself.

And then to show them all how it’s done, Adam Lambert strutted around the stage and belted out an epic version of his monster hit ‘Ghost Town’, which obviously had the coaches out of their seats, dancing.

The Maddens then chose busker Joe Moore to perform first for their team, and they weren’t backwards in coming forward when they told him his lack of eye contact was “annoying”. Joe came out on stage, made eye contact – take that Maddens! – and performed a moving rendition of ‘The Blower’s Daughter’. Delta cried, the audience had goosebumps, and The Maddens were genuinely proud that Joe delivered perhaps the most surprising  performance of the night.

Mother of three Tameaka Powell admits she’s been putting too much pressure on herself, and The Maddens coaxed her confidence out, and she brought the country to the stage with her toe-tapping version of the Dixie Chicks’ ‘Sin Wagon’. After a standing ovation, we think that reaction might be just the confidence booster Tameaka needed!

The Maddens told pub rocker Peta Evans-Taylor, “We want to take you back to where it started!” They really wanted to re-connect with her roots, so they gave her Melissa Etheridge’s classic ‘Bring Me Some Water’ to perform.  After her back-to-basics performance, Jessie actually brought the gutsy Artist some water,

The Maddens gushed, “There is no other chick – or guy – who can do what you did!”

Mellow 17 year-old surfer Nathan Hawes kept it nice and mellow with his chilled, awesome version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’, prompting The Maddens to say, “All I heard were girls screaming.” And yes, they were right! However, The Madden Brothers saved Joe to head straight into next week’s shows, leaving Team Ricky to show Australia what they’re made of.

26 year-old Scott Newnham has been battling to reveal his emotions, but on stage, he covered up his muscles and finally lets his emotions pour out as he sang his way through Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me A River’, prompting Coach Ricky to praise his performance as seriously “cool”.

23 year-old Liam Maihi dropped a bombshell by revealing he’d just gotten out of a relationship during the show! So, this was his chance to ‘Let It Go’, and armed with his guitar, that’s exactly what he did, delivering a vulnerable, passionate and cathartic performance.

Giving Naomi Price “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” was always going to be a major challenge, but Ricky obviously had some belief in this gifted singer and all we can say is WOW! Naomi’s version was dramatic and powerful, prompting a well-deserved standing ovation, and an invitation from Ricky to join him on stage in future! Even Joel was so moved, he said, “If I had a rose, it would be in my mouth.”

Ricky wanted to “feel the intensity” from Gail Page, and did she deliver? You bet! Her version of ‘You Don’t Own Me’ was yet another stellar performance, and Gail truly commanded the stage. However, it was Naomi’s night, and Ricky saved her to make her way into next week’s shows.

Australia, 4 Artists are through safely – Ellie, Caleb, Joe and Naomi. Who else will make it through safely? Well, it’s your turn to vote now, and you can find out the results next week!

Keep tuning back for more recaps and exclusive artist playlists coming later today.