Björk, The Pleasure Was All Ours…

Last night, Björk visited Perth, on her Volta tour, to play at the Big Day Out.

Travis and I arrived at the Showgrounds late afternoon, hoping to secure a good spot to watch Björk’s set. We lined up for 40 minutes to get into the up-close-and-personal D-barricade section. Arcade Fire were playing which made the wait more bearable. It would have been nice to see them live properly, rather than being squished amongst smelly teenagers – but the line proved to be worth the wait.

It was dusk when Björk’s Brass Band entered the stage, playing their instruments in their brightly coloured outfits. Björk started the set with the upbeat, carnival sounding Earth Intruders.

This was then followed by the sensual Unravel. I’d never seen a crowd so in awe before, watching so very quietly as she belted out the beautiful lyrics. Her voice is so powerful and distinct. Björk then played Hunter. It must be said Björk is such a unique and kooky dancer. The visual display of the animal flags combined with her dancing was amazing.

Björk introduced the next song, noting in her tiny voice that it was a special request. I was so happy when it was All is Full of Love. While I love Joga, I had a feeling it was one or the other. And I was ecstatic that ‘Peerrrrrrth’, as Björk playfully called us, was lucky enough to have my most favourite song played. The song was so so beautiful and emotional. It was amazing to finally listen to it live.

The next few songs were from her more recent albums, Vespertine and Medúlla. These songs displayed her beautiful voice, poetic lyrics and eclectic melodies. Björk then warned us that Desired Constellation would be “the last slow one before it gets dark”. The sun had just set, and the crowd was all but prepared for the booming that is Army of Me. With an incredible laser light show combined with the stormy beats, this song so appropriately demonstrated the diversity in her music.

The set continued with I Miss You, the song about a perfect lover, whom she hasn’t yet met. Then, it was the theatrical and dramatic Bachelorette followed by an Icelandic folk song, Vökuró. Wanderlust, my favourite from the latest album, was then played.

Björk announced “it’s going to get a little crazy”.

The spectacular Hyperballad mixed with LFO’s dance track Freak got the crowd dancing followed by Pluto. It was fantastic! Hands were flying everywhere. Finally, Björk dedicated what seems to be the Volta tour signature song, Declare Independence, to the people of Australia.

Thank you Björk for the most amazing show, now I want to see you again!

Possibly, Maybe… I will.

Travis’ comments:
I really didn’t know what to expect from a Björk performance, I had previously watched Björk’s MTV live DVD, but in the end this turned out not to be a good indicator. Her performance at the BDO was simply amazing and above all expectations.

She started with her more familiar songs, and I was happy I got to hear Hunter, but as her performance progressed and as it became night, her songs got louder, faster and noisier. The change from her more emotive songs like All Is Full of Love, to the harder Army of Me and techno sounding Hyperballed, all with lazers was much unexpected.

It was the best live performance I have witnessed. Thanks Björk for coming to Perth and thanks Sonya for getting me into her music.

Daft Punk – One More Time

Daft Punk was a blast! We both had a fantastic time on Sunday evening, here are some snapshots we took between dancing:

Sonya’s comments:

By the time we had arrived at the festival, it was well and truly packed. People of all different shapes, sizes and ages were there. There were the teenagers with their Alive 2007 shirts and beer in hand, the ravers with their giant furry pink leg warmers and the geeky 20 something year olds who had obviously been waiting for this for a long time. One thing was clear, the anticipation in the crowd was enormous and by the time the two robots appeared on stage, the audience was going wild.

Daft Punk played for about 1 hour, and then came out again for an encore (after the crowd had started chanting to the tune of Da Funk). I particularly liked the end when the duo turned around leaving the audience with a view of “Daft Punk” lit up on the back of their jackets – it was too cute!

The show left me with bizarre sense of happiness. Whether it was the messages of being “Human” and “Together” being sprawled across the stage screens or Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” being played immediately after the show (causing everyone to embrace each other in togetherness), I’m not sure. All I can say is Daft Punk are very good at doing what they do.

Travis’ comments:

It is no doubt that the light show was the most impressive setup I have ever experienced. However, I was really there for the music and I was left a little disappointed. The set was exactly the same as their set back in Coachella April 2006, almost 2 years ago. I am aware that synchronising the lighting with an improvised set wouldn’t achieve the same visual experience, however, I would have liked some surprises thrown in to mix things up.

The highlight of the show was Sonya’s scream when Something About Us was played gaining a lot of stares from those around us.

I did have a lot of fun and hope to see Daft Punk again in the future (minus the pyramid light show).

Daft Punk – Nevereverland

Tomorrow, the French house robots known as Daft Punk will be on the Perth Esplanade’s grassy lawns for their Nevereverland tour. Guess which two lucky people will be attending?

Travis and I bought tickets as soon as they were released, and now – only less than a day to go! We can hardly contain our excitement.

Initially, Travis was keen on making our own robot costumes. I dismissed this idea, noting it would be too hot in the middle of December to wear such outfits. Unfortunately, tomorrow’s forecast is “cloudy, with rain periods – max 22”. Oh well!

Recently, I re-watched Interstella 555, an animation film featuring the Discovery(2001) Daft Punk album (a particular favourite).

A few months ago, in eager anticipation, Travis and I watched Electroma, a film produced by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo. Somewhere between Sci-fi and indie/arthouse, much of the film is delivered through vivid imagery and centered around themes of existence, and loneliness. I enjoyed this, as it gave a bit more insight into the Daft Punk persona.

So now, the world of the two robots finally come to Perth. Along with their myriad of light effects. And there will be twenty thousand Perthians to greet them, including us.