Sydney Festival continued rolling out the hits last night as the anticipated LIVE video installation opened up at the Lower Town Hall. We’ll have some contributors heading along to the installation over the weekend who will fill you in properly, but let me just say that it’s a fabulous feature of the festival. On entry, you can switch between 4 different artists on four different screens via your wireless headphones – always an eclectic group of musicians.
For opening night, these four video screens were literally turned into LIVE interactions, as 4 different performers (all of whom appear in the installation) took to the stage as four cameras showcased their performances from a variety of angles – certainly a unique showcase of live entertainment.
The only downside to the whole affair was that each performer was only given 20 minutes – so just as you’d gotten in the mood, they were ready to pass the mantle onto the next entertainer. And first to that throne was Laura Jean. I wasn’t familiar with the Melbourne based singer/songwriter, but I felt I got to know her very quickly. Her songs feel remarkably personal, and her voice is beautiful entrancing. She reminds me a bit of Kate Miller-Heidke – possibly from her classical influences – but with a more “folky” edge.
Spiderbait’s drum king, Kram followed and was my personal favourite of the night. His songs, which feature drums and guitar, but not always at the same time, are surprisingly engrossing. You wouldn’t go so far as calling him a one man band – but he proves that you only need one man to make some damn good music.
The Drone’s Gareth Liddiard pulled out his guitar and put on show of usual high standard, though his long tracks meant we only made it through a few songs. The title track from his solo record “Strange Tourist” and The Drones track “I Don’t Ever Want To Change” were among the set. In solo mode, Gareth is very much a storyteller, taking us on an intricate journey, accompanied by impressive guitar riffs.
Finally, a hungover Sarah Blasko took to the stage, but nonetheless sounded as beautiful as ever. Accompanied by a pianist, Sarah played through tracks like “All I Want”, “I Never Knew” and she closed out the night with “No Turning Back” – her most impressive single that always reminds me of that Scissor Sisters song that I can never remember the name of. You know the one…
An excellent night of live music. Find out more about the installation here.
