Regina Spektor @ ConventionCentre, Perth (21/04/10)

Thu 22nd Apr, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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While Regina Spektor has worked with some amazing producers in her time, her live show is testament to the fact that what makes her music great is not production, but 100% pure talent. Her vocal range and control is phenomenal, switching between an almost-yodel, a throaty growl and pure, spine-tingling, passionate crescendos with apparently little effort.

Spektor was supported by fellow New Yorkers Jupiter One, or as drummer Dave Heilman described them “Jupiter One-half”, owing to the fact that half the band could not afford to come on tour. The two that managed to come possibly only did so because they, along with wonderful cellist Dan Cho, comprised Spektor’s backing musicians.

The performance began as a solo show, with slightly awkward but musically gifted K Ishibashi alone with his guitar, violin, and an assortment of pedals, offering up some experimental and kind of psychedelic melodies along with passionate vocals. His falsetto, while a little quiet, was still quite impressive and suited the music perfectly. Just when the audience began to get a little restless, Ishibashi was joined by Cho, adding further depth to the music, and then finally, Heilman joined them on the drums, beginning with a rather lively endorsement of Half-price Wednesdays at Perth Zoo, where he had the opportunity to see a kid pick a fight with a kangaroo.

This performance may not have been a true example of Jupiter One’s work, but it certainly made some people curious enough to join the line at the merchandise desk, manned by the band themselves.

Spektor opened the show with The Calculation, a perfect example of her ability to completely dissect human relationships, while making it sound like a congenial tea-party conversation. This was followed quickly by a moving performance of Eet, which had the audience spellbound and cemented our hopes that this would be an impressive show.

She managed to forget the lyrics to Folding Chair, exclaiming “oh fuck” with adorable girlish charm, as she somehow segued into a story about liking the birds in Perth and how a duck investigated her shoes earlier in the day. She then quickly rehearsed the lyrics and started the song again, this time with a flawless performance, right down to the “dolphin song” that probably sounds more like a sea lion; but we won’t hold that against her.

With the exception of Genius Next Door and Man of a Thousand Faces Spektor managed to showcase her latest album, Far in its entirety, and still have time to throw in crowd favourites like Fidelity and On the Radio and some more obscure treats for fans who probably profess to ‘like her old stuff better than her new stuff’ like Bobbing for Apples, with the gorgeous and unexpected lyric “someone next door’s fucking to one of my songs”.

Mention needs to be given to the “no water in the theatre” policy that was strictly enforced, despite the sign at the cafe assuring us that we could bring it in. Some clever punters (who will remain anonymous….) hid them in bags and took fear-laden sips behind the back of one fascist usher who took her job a little too seriously.

After her supporting musicians left the stage, Spektor moved from her gorgeous grand piano to a keyboard and played us Dance Anthem of the 80s. An audience member, who had thus far only had a view of Spektor’s back, took the opportunity to get a bit of film. Within moments the aforementioned usher raced down the stairs, leant over audience members and gave the filmer a stern tapping on the shoulder: it felt just like a high school assembly. After finishing the song, Spektor said “I just saw what happened, and I don’t mind if people want to film…” of course she should have been more specific, as from that point on, it was like sitting in a pit of paparazzi, as camera flashes and digital clicking sounds permeated the room: people don’t seem to understand theatre etiquette these days.

Perhaps not all standards are lost however, as Spektor left the stage the crowd erupted into massive applause, complete cheering, foot-stamping and cries of “encore” which did not let up at all until the woman herself returned and rewarded us with possibly one of the most beautiful love songs ever written; Samson, followed by other favourites including Fidelity. The night finished in a completely different place to where it started; with a “big kiss from America” in the hoe-down number, Love, You’re a Whore, and an absolutely well-deserved standing ovation.

This was the first show of her almost completely sold-out tour, and they say these things can only get better… the rest of Australia can expect a delightful romp through the sometimes quirky but always beautiful world of Regina Spektor.

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