Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Thursday September 21, 2017 :
Unsurprisingly, the ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’ tour has been a huge success for London Grammar thus far, selling out all three of their Sydney shows. Evidently relocating their first show from the Enmore Theatre to The Hordern Pavilion was a smart move. The venue was packed and with the anticipation of the dancing and crying combination that I was soon to be participating in, it was only natural that I headed towards the bar. As the British trio are renowned for nudging deep-seated emotions, I wasn’t the only one downing a drink or two before the ensuing emotional rollercoaster.
Intrigue arose when a gentle, almost feminine voice started to leak out into the beer garden. Had London Grammar started early? Many thought so but when I entered the Pavilion I was greeted with Jack Froggatt, the frontman of Sydney trio Mansionair. A mix of subtle harmonies and sparse instrumental motifs create space for Froggatt’s voice to shine and I see why they are the perfect support act for London Grammar. The XX are clear influences along with Foals and Alt-J who Mansionair have supported previously. ‘Hold Me Down’ and ‘Easier’ were crowd favourites and the evolution of their exploration with soundscapes became more apparent as we heard new tracks from their soon to be released debut album.
Silence drenched the Pavilion as Hannah Reid took to the stage and triumphantly delivered an A Capella version of ‘Rooting For You’. The tone of Reid’s voice is without a doubt unique but what makes her exceptional is her ability to create beautiful melodies that compliment her vocal range. When Daniel Rothman and Dominic Major began layering the drum and guitar rhythms of ‘Flickers’, the trio’s genuine musical bond was unmistakable. Every song moved smoothly into the next even as they swapped between instruments. Reid would jump on to piano, Major from djembe to keys and Rothman from guitar to launch pad.
The magnitude of emotion experienced by the audience was intensified as we were transported into another realm by cleverly designed visuals of misty clouds, stunning mountains, stars, planets and sine waves. Having played a mix of songs from both albums it was only a matter of time before Reid introduced ‘Hey Now’ as the song that broke the trio into the Australian market with almost half of the song’s YouTube plays coming from down under. A slower start had the crowd guessing until the familiar piano melody kicked in and Reid whispered the lyrics ‘Hey Now’.
As you might have guessed this was no moshing affair. When the crowd weren’t awestruck they were singing along to admired tracks ‘Wasting My Young Years’ and ‘Strong’. The trio are Masters of crafting spatial atmospheres in a live environment, taking a holistic approach with the use of simplistic techniques and lingering effects adding to their ethereal aura.
An encore was imminent and when the trio walked back onto the stage the crowd burst into a heartening roar as a huge rainbow flag appeared and they fittingly began the song ‘Bones Of Ribbon’. ‘Oh Woman Oh Man’ and ‘Metal & Dust’ followed accompanied by contrasting images of the natural and manmade world.
Reviewer : Louie Smith
Photographer : Peter Dovgan
LONDON GRAMMAR
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MANSIONAIR
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