“It’s quiet, it’s smoky, it’s sexy. I like it.” Sydney-based songsmith Juanita Stein seems to be enjoying her first foray into Sneaky Pete’s intimate, industrial surroundings. A small venue perhaps, but in a setlist that covers songs from her latest album to tracks from parent band Howling Bells, the night frequently threatens to burst through the tight confinement of those walls.

Like the pink posies that pop on her black velvet suit, sparks of colour and light sparkle through the darkness during tonight’s performance. The title track from her 2024 LP The Weightless Hour opens up gently, Stein swaying beneath a jet-black fringe and shouldering a black SG, her lilting voice feeling out the cracks and filling the remainder with finger-picked chords. It’s clear from the off these songs suit the enclosed space.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning Kirsten Adamson, daughter of late Big Country icon Stuart, who brought home beautiful, heartfelt Americana in her support slot this evening. Indeed, many in the audience might expect similar from the headliner, and songs like the sidewinding ‘Old World’ and the American Frontier twang of ‘Daily Rituals’ could easily fit that description. Be that as it may, music as sinewy as the tremolo-drenched stomper ‘Black Winds’ announces her live versatility in the clearest of terms.

Easily switching between ethereal and energy, the French psych of ‘Snapshot’ cavorting and cooing and Howling Bells’ ‘Setting Sun’ sounding like My Bloody Valentine at their most potent, Stein’s influences seem as varied as they are dramatic. As if to allay our fears, she spells the message out in ‘The Mavericks’: “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine / Not everything is meant to be in a straight line.”

Small in stature yet full of power, especially at such close quarters, it’s easy to see why relative rock heavyweights such as The Lemonheads and Travis have rushed to include her on their recent tours. Seek out your nearest spot with dark surroundings and prepare to be seduced.