Shimmering light balls and a lone vase of flowers were classy inclusions to Sarah Blasko’s elegant stage set-up.
Shimmering light balls and a lone vase of flowers were classy inclusions to Sarah Blasko’s elegant stage set-up. Despite their white formal wear, Blasko and her band evoked an endearingly modest and ghostly presence, Blasko’s layers of beaded necklaces and accompanying beaded head-piece added a touch of her eclecticism.
She apologises early in the set for forgetting a few lines due to her jetlag, quipping with a smile “you may not have noticed anyway”. A loose lyric or not, Blasko’s expressive vocals, body language and awkward dance moves summoned an eerie poignancy of its own.
As Day Follows Night is Blasko’s most versatile album to date and one that displayed welcome tonal shifts and alluring textures in her distinctive voice. Her dreamy, whimsical idealism and melancholy introspection were harnessed to a beautifully-realised record (with the invaluable assistance of Björn Yttling) in As Day Follows Night – focusing on shimmering organic instrumentation and the moving sincerity of Blasko’s voice. Simple percussive rhythms and haunting piano melodies defined the songs’ groove and perpetual rhythm while the record was thematically driven by the blurring of dreams and reality.
This was all showcased tonight with the assistance of Blasko’s six-piece band, which comprised a pianist, double bassist, drummer, guitarist and two string players. The bouncing jazz-pop of Hold On My Heart and the hypnotising grooves of All I Want delighted with their odes to finding oneself and learning to love what one finds. Over & Over was a highlight with its piano and double bass accompaniments, while We Won’t Run was utterly charming. However, it was the string-laden Sleeper Awake that proved most compelling with its performance espousing a celestial grandeur and striking poignancy.
The pounding keys-driven No Turning Back delivered the most intense performance of the night as red lights flashed in synchronisation. Fans were delighted to hear True Intentions, which she hadn’t performed in a long time, while the cover of Cold Chisel’s Flame Trees was included in her set for the final time (though, forgetting a lyric during the performance saw Blasko state that Melbourne may hear it on another occasion). Blasko engaged with the audience humbly and openly to the delight of her fans who contributed to the quality of her banter. The charming singer remarked that she was particularly flattered when a fan yelled out “you’re rad!” The beautiful encore comprised the rippling melodic serenity of Down On Love – in which bells were utilised – and the incessantly haunting potency of {Explain}.
Before closing with {Explain}, Blasko explained that her previous plans for a bubble grand finale were scrapped when the purchase of what her guitarist referred to as “a Bubble Blaster 3000… 3000 bubbles per minute or 3000 BPM” proved misleading in its capabilities and turned out to have the efficiency of “three bubbles per minute”. It must be said that Blasko’s concert tonight elicited more laughs than expected. Of course, the absence of the bubble grand finale was of little significance, if any. The purity, honesty and beautifully-crafted artistry of Blasko has always resided in a humble and moving inner sanctum, and the reassurance of that alone proved more than enough for her adoring fans.
Check out the Snaps from the Sarah Blasko gig.
