Gretta Ray, George Alice, Heleina Zara @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 29/9/2023
It was a wholesomely happy fun night when Gretta Ray brought her “Big Pop Show” to Adelaide on Friday along with Aussie pop hustlers Heleina Zara and George Alice. Something a bit left field of what I am used to at Lion Arts Factory having recently questioned the buildings’ structure after multiple extreme Metal shows, Gretta Ray was a curious but welcome change in pace and a whole different vibe to my usual live music adventures. From young girls dressed in flippy skirts and moon boots, to couples who have definitely retired and play Bridge, it was a diverse range of fans all having a good boogie to some deliciously upbeat pop songs.
Supporting the national tour, Heleina Zara kicked off the festivities having been selected by Gretta Ray after her recent national support with Peach PRC, which was well received by the cheery crowd. Zara even appears to have her own little flock of dedicated fans now all wearing the same giant hair ribbons and having selfies with her throughout the night. George Alice brought her unique Disney princess vocals and catchy tunes to the stage including popular banger Circles and latest single Healed.
Gretta Ray was met with loud joyful cheering before busting into popular track Upgraded’, twirling around the stage in a yellow sundress and backed by her band and thumping backing track. The audience sang throughout her entire set and their energy was as wildly entertaining and heartening as her performance. Gretta got on the acoustic guitar for hit song and Dear 17 before bringing out Heleina Zara and her adorable yellow electric Stratocaster to perform America Forever She told the audience to have a “big happy dance and think about all the things we are grateful for” for uplifting track You’ve Already Won. She even got the entire venue to crouch down on the ground before jumping up to dance again which was quite a sight and nothing I have ever seen pulled off so flawlessly with such a big audience. Encoring with Love Me Right and Don’t Date the Teenager Gretta danced around with the Pride flag while the audience continued to sing euphorically.
Gretta Ray’s evocative and poetic songs that encapsulate lighthearted positive messages are hitting the mark with her audiences and bringing a lot of joyful energy to her shows. While there are a lot of modern pop stars spearheading the Australian music scene at the moment, Gretta Ray is most definitely a ray of sunshine and is putting her ‘positive spin’ on the genre making her a standout artist that is evolving magnificently.
Live Review By Bec Scheucher