Watching Princess One Point Five, Sarah-Jane Wentzki, perform was like watching Alice in Wonderland accompanied by members of the Cat Empire. Of course it sounded nothing like the description suggests, but it was oh so sweet to watch.
Wentzki and her band opened the show at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. It was a seemingly spacious, but fitting venue for the evening’s musical delicacies. Wentzki’s powerful voice and quirky stares captured the audience’s attention with a strange melodic and cinematic fusion of electro-pop. Her music was dark and mysterious, filling the hot room with curiosity and wonderment. Princess One Point Five is indeed a commanding songstress and a hard act to follow.
The theme of darkness and intimacy continued throughout Jen Cloher and the Endless Sea’s set but it was missing a strong vocal delivery. Wentzki’s voice demands attention but Cloher struggled to connect with the audience. The crew weren’t, however, completely without support. Some keen punters sapped up the bleak melodies yet others could feel the endlessness of the sea. The band’s music glazed over much of the audience and when it played Better Off Dancing, sadly the former part of the hook line, ‘Better off dead than dancing’, sounded more enticing.
When the clock finally struck 11:15pm, the much-anticipated Josh Pyke took to the stage. Superficially, the man would seem to have a fairly short back catalogue, but this keen kid played a rockin’ retrospective of his musical career to date. He strolled down memory lane and played some tracks from his time as the one-man band Night Hour, with old favourites dotted throughout the set such as Kids Don’t Sell Their Hopes So Fast and Silver.
Ecstatic fans were also treated to an array of new material from his upcoming album, one of which, Somebody Else’s Town, was a lingering dedication to the countless cities and places visited by the artist. The first release from the new disc, Memories & Dust (characteristic of Josh Pyke’s cool alt-country sensibilities), was also met with raucous applause. Showcasing his superb ability to pen emotionally delectable lyrics, Josh Pyke managed to set the ambience of the jam-packed room to sentiments of longing and melancholy via songs such as Fill You In and Goldmines, whilst also succeeding in the evocation of nostalgia, with the crowd favourite Middle of the Hill.
Pyke closed the night’s dealings with The Doldrums, a morose yet strangely upbeat reflection on the never-ending quest for personal fulfilment.
Indeed an outstanding poet as much as singer-songwriter, Josh Pyke’s way with words and bewildering stage presence attracted a full house and reinforced the reasons behind his ARIA nomination. It was a terrific gig and truly cemented the fact Pyke is one of Australia’s top male indie artists.
