Anna Calvi, Twin Shadow @Oxford Art Factory, Sydney(6/2/2012)

Wed 8th Feb, 2012 in Gig Reviews

On the typically dreamy When We’re Dancing, George Lewis Jr, aka Twin Shadow, sings “I am trying to remember all the things I’ve known”. It’s a theme that runs through his gem of a debut album Forget, the seductive lure of the past and the impossibility of recapturing it. This rich, warm nostalgia runs through the teenage misadventures of Shooting Holes and the pop fantasia of Castles in the Snow. Highly stylised but full of feeling, these are songs made for slow dances, exquisite reimagining of ‘80s makeout anthems.

Explaining that this tour marks the first time they have been able to actually stay in cities rather than performing hit and run shows, Lewis’ gratefulness at his growing success and relaxed good humour shine through as he delivers lovingly rendered versions of Slow and the rueful Tyrant Destroyed. The set also takes in a new song which mines the same vein of danceable nostalgia and is blessed with an instantly memorable bassline and comes to an end with fan favourite Tether Beat.

Having also released a debut record in 2010, Anna Calvi is another star on the ascent though one whose art comes from a darker, more visceral place. Playing as a three piece with drums and an eye-catching array of percussion, it is her guitar playing, jagged and full of violent urgency, that steals the show. I’ll Be Your Man is commanding, her sheer intensity something to behold.

The dirty blues of Love Won’t be Leaving features more compelling guitar work, locating a sweet spot between Scott Walker melodrama and noisy abandon, stretches of near-silence the musical equivalent of tossed hand grenades, waiting for cathartic explosion. Another treat is her version of TV on The Radio’s Wolf Like Me which shows how covering a familiar song can be an invigorating exercise in creativity and reinvention rather than a lazy set filler. Desire, meanwhile, is just magnetic, the work of a born musician.

The encore consists of a single song, Edith Piaf’s Jezebel and the crowd reluctantly shuffle out as the lights come up, highlighting the only real criticism of Calvi’s performance – it wasn’t nearly long enough. Count your blessings though, because you won’t get to see her in a venue this small next time.