Newcastle City Hall
Saturday April 9, 2016 :
In 2012, Australian singer-songwriter, Sarah Blasko, released what was arguably her most ambitious album to date. Traveling to Sofia to record with the BulgarianSymphony Orchestra, the resulting self-produced album spawned rich and stunning tracks like ‘God-fearing’, ‘Here’ and of course, the tribal title track, ‘I Awake’. Flash forward to November 2015, Blasko gives us Eternal Run, a record which saw the two-time ARIA award winner break yet more ground with a surprising collection of polished synth-pop.
Currently touring this latest body of work through capital cities and regional centres across the country, this past weekend, Blasko visited Newcastle Town Hall to show off the fruits of this latest creative shift. Saturday night’s performance demonstrated how far Blasko has come along since debuting, a decade ago, with The Overture & the Underscore – proof enough was in the six synths that littered the grand Concert Hall stage.
Heralding her arrival to the stage with the bold and self-aware ‘I Am Ready’, with it’s commanding drum line and driving synth chords, Blasko’s revised sound is put unapologetically at the forefront from the get go. Slick newbies ‘Better with You’, ‘I’d Be Lost’, ‘Maybe This Time’ and ‘Beyond’ all make an appearance in the first part of the set. Dark yet playful, sometimes sexy, the melodies produced by Blasko and her five-piece band, would not be out of place in a Depeche Mode, New Order or Human League set. Even her onstage style – double-breasted power blazer and spandex tights, teamed with blue eye makeup and Debbie Harry lips – were a nod to this 80s-inspired turn.
Having sampled her new sounds, we then delved back into Blasko’s catalogue, specifically 2009’s As Day Follows Night. The songstresses ethereal tones filled the room right to the golden chandeliers in ‘All I Want’, she delighted the crowd with ‘We Won’t Run’, before taking a dark turn and really getting her tap shoes stomping on ‘No Turning Back’.
Then it was back to newer material for what would be a highlight of the evening, an unplugged rendition of ‘Here’. Delicately tip toeing her way through top notes with just a ukulele and double bass to accompany her, I reckon without the slightest bit of hyperbole, you could actually have heard a pin drop during this performance.
The remainder of the set was a career-traversing mixed bag her giving the band the opportunity to go to town on the keys as well as acoustic guitars – ‘Change of Heart’, ‘Always Worth It’, ‘Only One’, ‘Say What You Want’, a very heavy-hitting and lush version of ‘Without’, followed up with an encore of her the current single ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Luxurious’ before finishing off strong with ‘I Awake’. One thing that did remain consistent throughout however was the quality of Blasko herself – not once did she stop moving, captivating, sounding absolutely remarkable.
Rooms like these were made for showcasing voices like Blasko’s and both parties performed their duty oh so well on the night. The show really can’t be summed up better than it was by one particularly vocal punter who midway through the set shouted from the mezzanine, “You’re amazing and this whole friggin’ concert is amazing”. Right he was.
Reviewer: Amelia Parrott
Photographer: Caitlin Schokker
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