PrideFEST Live was a new event added to this year’s PrideFEST which saw a huge crowd gather at The Ice Cream Factory in Northbridge for a concert featuring Montaigne, Cub Sport, Vera Blue and dance merchants PNAU.
The celebration of Australian music got underway with a set from Montaigne, an artist who is best known for representing Australia at Eurovision.
It’s a pity Montaigne drew the short straw of being on first early in the evening as many revelers missed their set captivating set.
Queensland born and bred band Cub Sport came next. Keyboardist Sam Netterfield made a huge love heart sign to the crowd as he took to the stage alongside drummer Dan Puusaari and the band’s other keyboardist Zoe Davis.
As they began to play, Netterfield’s husband, lead singer Tim Nelson appeared sporting new shorter black hair and a studded leather jacket.
Adorably Nelson shared the story of how he and Netterfield were mates in High School and it took them years to admit that they were both gay and deeply in love.
At one stage in proceedings he embraced and passionately kissed his husband. The band’s set included an unexpected cover of Adison Rae’s Pepsi Cola.
Through out the show it was obvious that Cub Sport were thrilled to be performing to a largely LGBTIQA+ audience.
Vera Blue got a huge response from the audience as she took to the stage, soon she was tossing her incredibly long hair around and showcase her operatic voice that is mixed with rock and electronic sounds.
She also included a rendition of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which definitely went down well with the LGBTIQA+ audience.
Her song All the Pretty Girls got a massive response too.
By the time PNAU took to the stage the venue was full and they exploded on to the stage in a flash of smoke, lights and energy.
The band’s live offering featured two vocalists and it was a wild party from the moment the entered the auditorium.
PNAU’s Go Bang was a party starter, and they played not only their tunes but also many of the collaborations they’ve been involved in including their take on Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor, and Elton John and Dua Lipa’s Cold Cold Heart.
They offered a new version of their classic hit Embrace, and it all came to a crescendo with their sing-a-long smash Chameleon.
This was a great edition to the PrideFEST calendar, let’s hope it makes a return in 2025.
