The Voice Winner Anja Nissen
Fiercely fabulous Sabrina Bashton
The Voice runner-up Jackson Thomas
It was a show that would have contemporary performers shaking in their boots. Filled with the professionalism and stage-craft of those who have been in the business for many years, The Voice Top Eight knew how to get Perth Arena pumping.
The show was opened by Season One contestant Prinnie Stevens who showcased an impressive vocal range to Beyonce’s hit ‘Sweet Dreams/Beautiful Nightmare’ as well as two of her own songs – ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ and ‘One Night’.
The show then continued with a group cover of ‘Happy’ by Pharell Williams, featuring Team Ricky’s Jackson Thomas and Sabrina Bashton, Team Kylie’s Kat Jade and Johnny Rollins, Team Joel’s Frank Lakoudis and Holly Tapp and Kristal West from Team Will’s duo ZK.
As they left the stage, a beautiful silhouette of The Voice Winner Anja Nissen appeared behind a curtain that soon dropped to reveal the musically-gifted band and a flawless Anja who at just 18 years of age had the audience in awe with her version of ‘When Love Takes Over’ made famous by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland.
Jackson Thomas was next to hit the stage with his impressive rendition of Matt Corby’s ‘Resolution’, before Kristal West (one half of ZK) was joined by winner Anja Nissen to stand in for Zaachariah Fielding who was notably absent and ‘there in spirit’, for a beautiful rendition of Cindy Lauper’s classic ‘Time After Time’ fit with harmonies that left not a dry eye in the arena.
Lakoudis quickly transformed the vibe and hit the stage to a timeless KISS classing ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ in which he resembled a hugely successful rock-band front man as he strutted and jumped across the stage whilst working the crowd. Genuinely enthused and incredibly impressed by being on a national tour, we saw Lakoudis take a few cheeky photos throughout the evening which proved to be a reminder as to how grateful these new musicians were of their new-found fame.
Pocket-rocket powerhouse Sabrina Bashton was a lady not to be messed with as she strutted fiercely through the audience whilst belting out Whitney Houstan’s hit ‘Queen of the Night’ . She also returned to the stage to perform a pitch-perfect rendition of Sia’s ‘Chandelier’.
Kat Jade (along with her signature cat ears) proved to be a crowd favourite, with her performances of Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ and CATS musical number ‘Memory’ lighting up the crowd.
Country girl Holly Tapp managed to shake things up a little with her version of Cher’s ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) and a musically jazzed-up version of Beyonce’s smash hit ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
The next performance was possibly my favourite of the night. Jackson Thomas returned to the stage with his version of Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’. This was the performance I had been anticipating the most and I was undoubtedly blown away. Every single time Jackson performs this song I am riddled with goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck immediately prick up. The song looks like it was made for Jackson – his impeccable stage presence and natural charm along with unbelievably impressive vocals go hand-in-hand and he delivers a beautifully powerful performance – something he managed to do last night.
I was also blown away with Jonny Rollins’ ‘When a Man Loves A Woman’ and Anja’s flawless renditions of The Jackson Five’s ‘I’ll Be There’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’.
Pre-recorded voice-overs from Will.I.Am, Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin and Joel Madden played as their respective top two from each team delivered flawless duets as well as all of the top eight coming together for performances of Imagine Dragons’ ‘I’m On Top of the World’, Russel Moriss’ ‘The Real Thing’ and an encore of the incredibly fitting John Farnham smash hit ‘You’re The Voice’.
What struck me most last night was the respect that the stars had for their audience. It was beautiful to see them living their passion and taking the first steps of their musical careers right in front of our eyes. Their perfected vocals, beautiful costumes and unbelievably professional stage presence were beyond incredible and I couldn’t hold this show in a higher esteem.
You can catch The Voice On Tour around the country – their next stops are listed below:
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Wednesday 30th July
Hisense Arena, Melbourne Friday 1st August
Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney Saturday 2nd August
Brisbane Entertainment Centre Sunday 3rd August
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