It’s not often that you get such a perfect pairing of band and venue. Of the Decemberists shows scheduled for this, their first trip to Sydney (the others being at The Metro Theatre and Big Day Out), it’s clearly The Hyde Park Barracks: a building that stands as a powerful reminder of the city’s convict past, which best fits with the bands’ obsession with bloodthirsty history.

And the setting for tonight’s Sydney Festival show in the grounds of the Barracks looks stunning on this warm January evening, with the Barracks beautifully lit, and the well-dressed crowd gathering for a beer in the open air. Unfortunately, with the concert itself taking place in a tent next to The Barracks, the quality of the sound can’t match the quality of the setting.

This is particularly a problem for Bridezilla, whose ineffectual support performance failed to divert the crowd from their conversations. Singer Holiday Sidewinder has this weird habit of attempting to sing in slow motion, dragging each word out as long as possible.

Coupled with a lacklustre performance from the rest of the band, and the fact that all the songs sound the same, the performance was entirely forgettable and left me bemused as to how the band have become so popular recently.

It’s easy to see how The Decemberists are so well-loved, however, as all five members bound on stage and with a cheery hello, launch straight into 2004’s 18-minute epic, The Tain; filling the tent with their rich, warm noise and captivating the crowd straight away.

After recent shows overseas playing their latest album in full, the band are obviously relishing the opportunity to delve into their back catalogue, as they tear through material from their first four albums, playing only The Rake’s Song from last years’ Hazards Of Love LP.

The revelation for me from the show is Colin Meloy as a frontman. I’d had him down as a bookish and prickly muso, but tonight not only is his voice as powerful and singular as it is on record, he’s funny, charming, lively and every bit the pop star you never imagined he would be.

Audience participation, for example, is not something I thought would be part of a Decemberists show. However, on 16 Military Wives Meloy has the audience divided down the middle, waving fists and shouting “la-di-da” at each other. It’s a brilliantly ridiculous scene, and it works wonders in getting the standoffish crowd to open up.

Perhaps even more impressive than Meloy’s stage presence tonight is the role played by fellow band member Jenny Conlee, who contributes keys, accordion, percussion and backing vocals. As Conlee stages a wonderfully dramatic mock-death during final number The Mariners Revenge, while the audience, on the band’s instruction, make a noise like a murdered whale, there’s a collective sense of delight in the fact that we’re part of something that’s a long way from your standard rock show in your standard rock venue.

It’s taken you ten years to visit our shores, Mr Meloy – let’s hope it’s not another ten before you return.