Fun Machine certainly know how to live up to their name. Every time I’ve seen the Canberra locals their flair for creative costumes has impressed me just as much as their music. Supporting Owl Eyes at a busy Transit Bar last Thursday, ‘sparkles’ was their theme. Appearing on stage in tiny sequined hot pants and a sleeveless vest, the lead singer’s outfit made even the straightest boys blush, leaving nothing to the imagination and showing off his physique just as much as his vocals.

The three piece played their usual tracks of ‘Witchita’, ‘Nintendo in the Jungle’, and ‘Mo’, to an audience that was attentive but not overly enthusiastic, with most perched on a stool enjoying a drink instead of dancing.

They quickly stood up once Melbourne’s Owl Eyes began with their hit ‘1 + 1’, and continued to entrance the crowd for the next hour. Made up of five musicians, Owl Eyes is fronted by the divine blonde Brooke Addamo, whose syrupy smooth vocals and catchy lyrics had the whole bar swaying by the second song. Thanks to an EP that received high rotation on Triple J and featuring on Illy’s hit, ‘It can wait’, a decent crowd had assembled for their first Canberra show and everyone was front and centre to dance the night away.

It was easy to understand why I overheard more than a couple of guys mutter marriage proposals as she bopped around the stage in a gorgeous black long-sleeved dress and sky-high heels, her angelic long hair shining in the spotlights and a sweet smile lighting up her face as she sang. Stopping to give a birthday shout out to her tour manager Jacqui, and thank the crowd for being so lovely, I could see why she has a reputation for being one of the sweetest girls in the music industry.

I wish I could give you more information about what the rest of the band were doing, but in all honesty, I wasn’t paying much attention to them – Brooke really did steal the show. The two boys on guitar made an effort to interact with the audience and each other, and the girl on keys provided just the right amount of backing vocals too.

Their set was mainly made up singles off their ‘Faces’ EP such as, ‘Paper Planes,’ and, ‘Dancer’, with a few new moodier songs scattered through their set showing the versatility of Brooke’s voice and how her sound is maturing from pop fun to more layered and refined. They have a new record coming out early next month, and they promised to the adoring crowd they’d be back to promote it. I can’t wait.

Photography by Chris Whitfield