Imogen Heap, Tim Exile, BackTed N-Ted @ Billboard,Melbourne (24/03/2010)

Sat 27th Mar, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Following the critical and commercial success of her latest full length release Eclipse, as well as two Grammy nominations, electronic-pop songstress Imogen Heap announced a debut tour of Australia, prompting immense anticipation among fans who have waited and hoped for so long. The excitement this particular evening was palpable; a queue of eager fans wound around the exterior of the venue, stretching deep into a suspect back alley. It would seem that Heap had been rewarded for her long-awaited appearance, but it would be those in attendance that would ultimately benefit, as the night soon transformed into a magical experience.

The stage would be adorned with a giant, multidimensional stand-up of a tree, tiny lights glittering across the display. Beneath it lay a smorgasbord of instruments, gadgets, sound boards and pedals meticulously placed for the performers. You knew as soon as you walked in that the recreation of their music would be complex, thorough, and precise, and this promise set the tone for the entire show. Heap surprised the early crowd in a “pre-hairdo” state to thank them for their attendance, and to introduce the first act, Back Ted N-Ted aka Ryan Breen. A lone performer specializing in electronic pop and rock, he wove guitars, humming bass lines and pumping drum tracks together with the help of loop pedals and other gizmos. Despite a slow start, Breen began to win the affections of the crowd; The Mirror proving a poppy departure from his initial lo-fi impressions. Although there was little to look at, and each song – given his one-man-band schtick – took time to build, the eventual result was enticing, hooks with big beats the order of the set. Towards the end it became slightly monotonous, but enjoyable nevertheless as his support of Heap emerged a logical decision.

Heap then introduced her second support act for the evening, Tim Exile – part musician, part comic, part software designer – who instantly made a splash with a natural charisma that charmed the audience effortlessly. Exile soon painted himself as quite the wiz kid, a techno genius whose specialty revolved around the many bits and bobs on stage for him to play with, including what look liked a joystick somehow capable of voice modulation beyond recognition. Sampling his voice, he created a slick groove to begin proceedings, those in attendance impressed by the originality of the approach. Exile’s manner is effectively that of a mad scientist, a professor of electronica, constantly playing, tinkering and refining his sound throughout to emphasize an unorthodox yet successful trend of pure improvisation. To that end, he is to be commended, if it was indeed all off the cuff.

Stationed with a variety of tools at his disposal side of stage, Exile soon took to sampling the voices of others, inviting involvement within the show. The most impressive moment of Exile’s set came in his uncanny ability to construct an entire song from within the pit, far from the stage and any key instruments. The performance was highly original, entertaining and consistently surprising, and the music, it seemed, was in perpetual metamorphosis. In short, Exile succeeds because he’s not only a musician with supreme know-how, but the confidence to use it to try something left of centre.

When Imogen Heap graced the stage, she took time to make sure everything was perfect, introducing an intrigued crowd to some of her more curious looking instruments and devices. It was a beginning that teased slowly and carefully, the gadgets and electronic wizardry all coming together to eventually form opener First Train Home. Heap’s voice was simply stunning: pitch-perfect and almost spiritual in nature, and no doubt a source of much awe in a captivated venue. Wait It Out soon followed; fingered delicately upon a pristine piano. Between songs, Heap amused and entertained with anecdotes spoken in quiet mutterings – which, though heard by most, might have proved frustrating for those distanced from the stage. Her conversation reduced the pace of the evening considerably, but the upshot was the ever-important connection created that seems so often lost between artist and audience, as Heap embraced her fans willingly.

Each rendition of every song saw not one ounce of detail or beauty lost in her live craft as Between The Sheets and Speeding Cars – Heap’s voice in particularly brilliant form here, in the song’s lofty heights – featured in the performance. Her musicianship was flawless, and her intimate knowledge of a stage setup more complex and intricate than the norm was particularly admirable. Not one space on the stage went to waste the entire evening; Heap utilizing just about every instrument she could find in bringing her music to life.

Frou Frou’s Let Go was a huge hit with the audience, a twinkling piano employed to its precise and captivating best. Soon additional musicians were welcomed to the stage, including the support acts, as Heap shifted the evening into another gear. The quirky, Cossack-inspired Aha! proved the addition a successful venture, with Heap accompanied until the final song, Tidal. Of course, there would be an encore through Hide And Seek, a predictable but welcome highlight. The real showstopper, however, would arrive in Just For Now; Heap calling upon the audience to assume the song’s backing vocals. The result was jaw-dropping, as all bonded in hushed tones to deliver warm its three-part-harmonies in a spectacle that seemed to last a welcome eternity. Heap could have left the Billboard stage on such a note, but The Moment I Said It would claim the final song of the evening.

It was nigh impossible to pick any significant hole in any of the performances witnessed this particular night. If anything, it just got better, and better; Heap especially outdoing herself time and again. During her appearance, she declared her intention to return to Australia later this year. For anyone who has even just a passing interest in Imogen Heap, or was unlucky enough to miss out, keep your ear to the ground – this was a spectacular experience that you will not want to miss again
.