 |
| Photo Credit: Ken Leanfore |
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Saturday August 20
Saturday August 20
Just one night after Gotye released his third album Making Mirrors, he performed its tracks before a sold out Concert Hall in Sydney’s Opera House.
Gotye's second show on the following night also sold, no mean feat for an artist who only recently found mainstream success. However, seated amongst the other 2,670-something fans watching Melbourne’s most deserving musician, it was clear we had flocked to his unique sound rather than him targeting us for chart success.
Performing as part of the city’s Graphic Festival, Gotye’s album preview was overtured by one of the most emotive animations I have ever experienced. Created by Shaun Tan and narrated by Tim Minchin, 15-minute film The Lost Thing won an Oscar in February for Best Animated Short Film, another worthy but unsurprising Australian merit. Complete with an onstage mini-orchestra expertly performing the film’s score, the screening couldn’t have been for fitting as a Concert Hall support act.
Gotye’s intricate set was orchestrated to a tee. Acclaimed animation teams faultlessly backed his music and lyrics with jaw dropping, dizzying, at times creepy, but always emotive visuals. Brendan Cook’s morphing bear-man endowment for opener and lead single Eyes Wide Open was the perfect spearhead for the visual banquet. The audience sang long proudly as Gotye’s musical phalanx materialised our aural memory of the track.
The performance also marked the debut of Gotye’s 10-piece band, each member undertook multiple moonlights as they swapped and changed instruments through collective vocal contributions, random hand claps and finger clicks.
Other animation amazements included distorted delight State Of The Art, where creative duo Greg Sharp and Ivan Dixon of Rubber House delivered their sunny, Disney-circa-1950s animation which was tailored especially for the track. The crowd’s grateful cheer afterward was only equalled twice more. Once for chart topping singleSomebody That I Used To Know where contradicting emotions filled the hall. Our hearts broke for Gotye as he bore his soul with each lyric but they were concurrently filling with light as Kimbra stepped out to perform her cameo. The pairs’ eyes only met upon the track’s finish, adding to the theme of discontent.
Hearts A Mess was another emotional rollercoaster as Gotye turned the massive venue into an intimate setting. Taken from second albumLike Drawing Blood, the 2007 track painted Gotye as more than a musical genius but also a beautiful singer with an impressive vocal range.
We sang along when he asked for Save Me, his homage to girlfriend of four-years, Tash Parker. “Is Tash here?” he said. “Love you Tash.” Exempt of any animated accompaniment, Gotye’s players and our own feeble contributions were enough. “It’s nice singing that song and thinking about Tash,” he said.
Mechanical Apple’s Ari Gibson and Jason Pamment approached Gotye’s Bronte as more of a mini-film while the multiplying cactuses for the Jackson 5-like track In Your Light was an enjoyable backdrop, leaving room for our minds to feast on Gotye and his talented ten.
“Had I stuck with my original set list plan we would have gone offstage and done a few high fives…” Gotye skipped the encore tradition and instead gave us more of his time.
“If you can all help us out we can all go out on a high,” he said before rearing into Like Drawing Blood track Learnalilgivinanlovin. Although Shannon Cross’ cartoon-nostalgic clip brought on happy childhood memories, it was Gotye’s incredible drum solo and the roaring horn section which incited dancing in the isles. An instant standing ovation and massive applause then ensued.
Gotye’s stunning album preview ceased, beaming faces spilled out of the Opera House and the heavens cried. Okay it may have just started raining but isn’t it nicer to think the former?
1 comment:
Post a Comment