Sia @ Thebarton Theatre,Adelaide (09/02/11)

Thu 10th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

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Sia has been known for her crazy visual presentations and her head to toe black body paint and pink tutu, whilst refreshing, was not entirely surprising. Indeed many in the audience would have been quietly waiting to see whatever wardrobe monstrosity she would choose to grace the stage in. Needless to say no one was disappointed. Kudos too should go to the rest of the band adorned in matching striped uniform, aside from the keyboardist with his clownish white face paint.

Watching Sia sing is like a vocal coach effortlessly going through the motions, with her carefully honed vocals encompassing elements of soul, jazz, pop and cooler contemporary styles with throatier elements. The performance by Sia’s band was simply world class, with the bassist working his way all over the bass neck with smooth grooves, the keyboardist using an array of sounds including unique staccato chimes and a solid drummer punching out some great rhythms on a sweetly tuned kit. The guitarist nailed each signature riff with the standout being the solo in You’ve Changed. A disappointing element was the use of pre-recorded tracks, especially given the calibre of the band. Perhaps one or two more musicians, even a cellist could have filled in the gaps, certainly cost couldn’t have been an option given the packed out venue.

The stunning Soon We’ll Be Found had some touching moments with a classical feel to the arrangement, with some turn of keys reminscent of an 80’s power ballads. Predictably the crowd response to Clap Your Hands and moreso the irrisistably danceable You’ve Changed was emphatic. The bubble-making contraption attached to Sia’s back made the former all the more memorable and in keeping with her eccentric quirky persona.

Maybe a little less banter could have made the gig flow a little bit better, the singer took arguably a few too many conversational liberties, perhaps overcome by the number of familiar faces in her home crowd. Whilst initially entertaining the kooky conversational interludes were a little too common for mine and began to wear thin after the fourth or fifth time. On balance though, the gig was excellent and the props, performances and professionalism something that artists throughout this state could learn from and even aspire towards.