Saturday 8 December 2012

Gotye- Sidney Myer Music Bowl



Not too many Australian acts ever get the chance to grace the stage at the Myer Music Bowl unless they are part of the festivities for Carols By Candlelight. Tonight Gotye headlined the tree lined bowl in front of a hometown crowd, I arrived not long after 7pm to find very little space left on the grass. Gotye is an interesting phenomenon his arrival from indy cult status to bonafide pop star has perhaps created a disjointed fanbase. There are those who have always enjoyed his DIY ethos and independence and then there are those who have become rusted on following the wordwide success of Somebody I Used To Know and the album Making Mirrors. As has been happening on his tour once he performed the hit single about 3/4 of the way through there was a noticeable availability of spare ground.

There is no questioning of his talent, the show emphasised his command of synth sounds, the percussive overlays that were never overused. He was able to reproduce the sound of his album faultlessly live, however there was a dynamic missing and that was between Gotye and his audience. I think the Bowl was the wrong venue for him, I think his stage presence and his songs require a more intimate venue, Festival Hall maybe or the Palais Theatre. Also the show probably lacked a bit of pacing on the unfamiliar songs or slower numbers many in the audience found it an opportune moment to head to the bar, it highlights the fact that not a lot of the audience no his previous albums and he can't play an entire showed based on his current album. Still it was a great show, Gotye is a brilliant musician and his vocal performance was impeccable. He does something that is hard to do, he takes something old and gives it a layer that makes it sound fresh.


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