As could be expected from the eccentric Dresden Doll, very little about Amanda Palmer’s return to Adelaide could be described as conventional. On the road to promote Who Killed Amanda Palmer? her Ben Folds produced solo album, Palmer’s trademark keyboard thumping was periodically expanded by the instruments of cellist Zoe Keating and violinist Lyndon Chester. However, the icing on the night’s peculiar cake of cabaret and mayhem came courtesy of the antics of The Danger Ensemble, a troupe of daring and energetic Australian performance artists.
In retrospect it seems only fitting that the evening was launched by Steven Mitchell Wright, leader of the Ensemble. Wright took to the stage to allude to some potentially disturbing news while introducing Zoe Keating as the evening’s opening act. The crowd quickly warmed to the interactive cabaret vibe, trading insults with a hilariously indignant Wright.
Momentarily dazzled by the blazing stage lighting, Keating’s use of loops and samples had an oddly hypnotic and appropriately glacial effect. Her reinvention of Muse track Time Is Running Out was both ominous and elegantly brilliant. Keating drew her set to a dramatically urgent close with a piece that she had performed at the 60th anniversary of the Trinity nuclear test.
This brought Steven back to the stage to again match wits with the locals and announce the untimely demise of “Amanda-fucking-Palmer”. Keating returned with Lyndon Chester to create a mourning dirge in honour of the departed Dresden. As a recorded eulogy courtesy of Neil Gaman played, the rest of The Danger Ensemble appeared to mime their grim condolences. Meanwhile, a veiled spectre quietly made its way through the crowd to the front of the stage. With a dramatic crescendo, Palmer was raised above her keyboard by the Ensemble, completing her resurrection with a bone-jarring performance of album opener Astronaut.
The rest of the show was a gloriously shambolic cabaret mess of Dresden Dolls songs, cover tunes, material from the new album, performance art and chatty interludes. During one of these, Palmer boldly offered to “make out” with anyone who would bring a better beer. An enterprising chap quickly appeared with a Cooper’s Pale Ale and Palmer kept her end with an aggressive pash. This became an evening motif, with several suitors keeping an eagle eye on the state of Ms Palmer’s beverage, dutifully appearing for their reward at the appropriate moments.
Not to be outdone, The Danger Ensemble took several of their performance pieces into the crowd, incorporating bystanders into their act. During Coin-operated Boy’s vigorous sing-along, a pair of wedding night pantomimes erupted into the crowd, with the grooms brandishing signs suggesting “Kash 4 Kiss” before their brides pursued them, frantically seeking direction from random audience members.
By the time Palmer slammed her piano stool onto the keys of her keyboard to signal the conclusion of a rampaging performance of Girl Anachronism the crowd had well and truly got its money’s worth. This made it a glorious treat when Palmer quickly reappeared to wrap things up with an unaccompanied ukulele strum through Radiohead’s Creep.
Far too much to cram into the confines of a humble review, Amanda Palmer and The Danger Ensemble put on the kind of show that witnesses will be telling people about for years. Absolutely outstanding.
to listen to their music now on 
