On Friday night, Heat Nightclub provided the stage for two dramatic and vividly original bands whose live shows at times were as much about theatrics as the music itself. That is not to say that The Red Paintings or the Dresden Dolls leave anything to be desired musically, as both bands possess vast talent in this department. Rather, that both absolutely turn it on as a spectacle on stage. The crowd was filled with an eclectic mix of individuals, some right into the spirit of things, with painted faces and bowler hats, while others just rocked up in their T-shirts and jeans. The venue was sold out and it was near on impossible to find a spot where you could actually witness what was going on, on stage. Such was the fervour of the fascinated and fascinating onlookers.

The Red Paintings without doubt put on one of the most original and viscerally pleasing live shows of any Australian band. They are right up their with international acts such as Sigur Rós for their intensity and the impact that they can have on a crowd. With lyrics like “your revolution is never coming,” they deliver a solemn message but not one that fails to carry with it some hope. Trash McSweeney’s vocals can be emotionally tormented and then in the next instance completely detached. His voice is constantly interwoven beautifully in a mix featuring heavy tribal drumming, luscious cello and violin, driving bass and guitar that fluctuates between producing a saw-like effect in your eardrums and then producing a mellow, soothing chime.

At times, the band’s performance has a real epic feel to it. Their set featured live body painting; an ornately decorated stage with iconic multicultural elements as stage props, and; several members of the band dressed in Geisha outfits, with McSweeney himself wearing a dressing gown. They create a huge wall of sound, only to tear it down in a moment and sew beautiful guitar and string laden harmonies into the wreckage. This could all be a bit much but like magic they orchestrate this fusion of elements into a truly inspiring live show. Their shows have been described as eccentric, psychedelic and art-rock; but for mine, it was really the case that you had to be there to hear and see it.

As Radiohead tunes played over the PA I stood wondering how anyone else could possibly come out and play after the explosions on the stage and the subsequent explosion from the crowd. I don’t think I was the only one thinking that either. At the time I wasn’t sure, but on reflection it was a good move to have an interlude featuring a yodelling Jason Webley playing a European-style ‘drinking’ song on accordion. Within minutes of being transfixed by The Red Paintings, the crowd found themselves rotating on the spot with their index fingers in the air, in order to get “very fucked, very quickly.” This really lightened up the mood and provided a fitting introduction for the Dresden Dolls as they prepared to take the stage.

Keyboardist and vocalist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione emerged to rousing applause and quickly cut into Sex Changes. However early in the song Viglione lost a drumstick while one of Palmer’s pedals malfunctioned. They quickly halted the song. This could have been a shakey start but Palmer smoothly jumped in. “Tonight’s our last night on tour, so that means you get an extra special fucked-up show,” she said. The delighted fans quickly forgot the drama on stage.

Coin Operated Boy spurred a joyful cheer from the fans. It followed on from Backstabber and at this time I was wondering if Palmer’s raspy, drawling vocals were the just the ramblings of an unhappy lady — as the set panned out I was proven very wrong, the quirky inventiveness and different lyrical personas in the band’s lyrics proved to be astonishingly brilliant. Her voice is at times harsh and even androgenous but at other times sweet and feminine. This, coupled with the deep, dark tones emanating from her keyboard and directly contrasted with Viglione’s metal-influenced syncopation, is an amazing aural relationship and is incredibly attractive to the listener. Palmer herself has described their sound as Brechtian punk cabaret, though somewhat tongue-in-cheek, so that they are not labelled as gothic.

During their first few songs, along with much of the rest of the crowd, I stood mouth wide open in awe but feeling a little on the outside as the band members seemed to have an introspective experience up on stage. During Coin Operated Boy, Palmer and Viglione performed in beautiful timing to produce the sound effect of a scratched CD skipping, an entertaining tactic, to say the least.

At one stage, Palmer left the stage mid-song and ascended to the mezzanine level. She ran a lap of the whole balcony, all the while still singing at the top of her lungs and shook one fan while singing to his face, much to his delight.

The set progressed and was delivered with a perfect balance between emotion and style every step of the way. Dirty Business, Bad Habit and Half Jack all featured towards the end. The band left the stage and the applause would not die down with Palmer forced to return, on her own, glass of red wine in hand to perform a solo effort. After this, Viglione returned to the drum kit and they invited Webley and McSweeney to join them on stage.

With McSweeney now the front man, guitar in hand he said, “This is a song for Perth,” and the musicians on stage played a beautiful cover of Mad World the Tears for Fears via Gary Jules song. Palmer then switched to the drum kit as Viglione took up the guitar, with Webley still on the accordion. They played the strange selection — Livin’ On a Prayer by Bon Jovi. The choice of that song only became apparent as Viglione stopped to interject, pointing out the contradiction in the lines ‘It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not’ and ‘Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear’. This cover and the ensuing interplay with the crowd was a perfect showcase of the band’s tongue-in-cheek approach to life’s contradictions.

The band finished with Girl Anachronism, a song that fans had been crying out to hear all night long. And they got their wish. It capped off a remarkable night with two perfectly complementary bands playing alongside each other and some light-hearted entertainment in between.