Gotye @ Belvoir Ampitheatre,Perth (12/12/11)

Fri 16th Dec, 2011 in Gig Reviews

For those courageous or foolhardy enough to brave the unrelenting storm that would become the subject of Facebook status updates for hours to come, the artist known as Gotye would be waiting in the verdant green fields surrounding the Belvoir Ampitheatre for the third and final of his Perth tour dates, alongside indie duo Big Scary and the dark and moody fockers (a portmanteau of folk and rockers) Husky.

Dwarfed by the tarpaulined instruments that dotted the stage in preparation for Gotye’s band, Big Scary was first up to the plate with their hip-shaking number The Apple Song. Despite the inevitable White Stripes parallels that any indie duo are forced to face, Big Scary do well to transcend expectations and deliver a sound that is easily digestible and thoroughly enjoyable. Though the occasional yearning for some bass couldn’t be helped, the band never felt like it needed more musicians to fill out the energetic indie-pop sound. Shifting the mood for a few songs with some keyboard ballads, the vulnerability in the voice of frontman Tom Iansek augmented the tender ballads and showed a different side to the band. The band made a return to the punchy, drum-propelled songs before finishing up with Autumn.

Shifting the night’s feel a little left of the dial, the Melbournite quartet Husky took to the stage with their pitch-perfect vocal harmonies and unusual songwriting formulas. Kicking off their set with Animals and Freaks, the tone was set for a performance of somewhat darker and more adventurous songs than their predecessors. Frontman of the eponymous band, Husky Gawenda filled the gaps between grooving 70s synth solos and folk-flavoured songs with shameless plugging of the band’s recently released album Forever So and graciously thanking Gotye for the tour, while a cover of What Goes On with three-part harmonies was an unexpected treat for Beatles fans.

With the unseasonally temperamental weather holding out thusfar and the afternoon sky darkening, it was time for Gotye to take to the stage. For an Australian artist to reach international acclaim is always a prestigious accolade. They pack their bags and traverse the globe, bringing the tunes that grew from the garages and bedrooms of our Australian streets to the musical Meccas of the US and Europe. So when they return we as loyal fans are left wondering whether the bands practiced down the road still embrace their Australian heritage, or whether they’re now too good for us, throwing us aside like an ex-paramour that has left to pursue a successful career as an underwear model, met an actor with chiselled features and now spends the rest of their days sipping Cognac on a yacht. When Gotye took to the stage with the number Eyes Wide Open he made it feel like an intimate show for friends, rather than part of an international tour generating thousands upon thousands of dollars. The down-to-Earth and silly humour of his band was a refreshing change of pace for an international-level band.

Swapping between genres effortlessly, the only real hiccups in the set came from technical difficulties with the synths and occasional problems with volume of certain instruments, no doubt an inherent risk of having a plethora of synths and drumkits dotting the stage. The crowd danced along to motown numbers such as I Feel Better, as well as the ever-popular classic Hearts A Mess. A short cover off Seville by Luiz Bonfa, to the backdrop of a hastily-made spaghetti western provided the segue into the wildly popular Somebody That I Used To Know, with an audience sing-a-long filling in for the absent contributions of Kimbra.

Finishing the set with motown number Learnalilgivinanlovin, the band walked off stage in the midst of weather that was soon turning hostile. Gotye remarked while returning to the stage, “We did want to play some more songs before this place blows over.” Playing Thanks For Your Time and Bronte before quickly departing once again in face of the rain that had finally started to pour down.

While only excellent timing and a considerable amount of luck allowed the bands to avoid being pelted with rain during their sets, few other faults could be picked from the night, leading to the conclusion that if you didn’t see Gotye last weekend, you missed out on an unforgettable experience.