The Tivoli, Brisbane
Wednesday May 30, 2018 :
I arrived at the Tivoli Theatre to find the entire venue heaving with an incredibly excited, predominantly female audience ready to soak up the all of the girl power of Vera Blue’s ‘Lady Powers’ tour.
I had unfortunately just missed the opining act, Kira Peru, but as I made my way towards the stage I noticed a strange vibe coming from the security. Having shot gigs at The Tivoli countless times over the past few years (it’s my favourite venue in Brisbane) covering all genres from heavy rock to electronic, I’ve never witnessed more aggressive behaviour from the bouncers surrounding the front of the stage. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were expecting to happen in a room full of young girls, Crowd surfing? Circle Pits? People jumping from the mezzanine level? Stage invasion perhaps? It seemed as though they were completely unaware of the demographic of the audience tonight, which consisted of excited, yet polite young girls.
As I was walking in to meet the other photographers in the pit, with my media pass clearly on show and a substantial sized camera in my hand, I was grabbed so hard by one of these over zealous male bouncers that I was left covered in bruises the next day. I’m not sure what was going through his head, but it was completely unreasonable behaviour from someone who should know better.
I was so close to walking out on the entire gig when the lights went down and Alice Ivy bounded onto the stage. Dressed in cream overalls and smiling from ear to ear, she certainly lifted my mood and got the crowd pumped for what was to be a wonderful night of live music ahead. Playing some dance floor killers off her recent Ep, I’m Dreaming, such as ‘Be Friends’, ‘Touch’, and ‘Get Me A Drink’, bringing all kinds of energy and jumping from one side of the stage to the other, swapping out guitars for synths… Ivy put on a great show. Highlight of the set was of definitely ’Chasing Stars’ her recent track with Bertie Blackman which she rocked live even without Blackman present.
As the house lights dimmed and the stage lit up with neon visuals, we could see band members raised high up above the audience on their own staging, the stunning Vera Blue walked out onto the main stage below them, dressed in the most amazing translucent Karla Spetic jacket and matching pants, with her fire red locks being whipped from side to side.
Vera Blue, the musical project of ethereal beauty Celia Pavey, keeps getting better every time I see her perform live. I thought she was phenomenal before, but the difference alone between seeing her play just after her debut album, Perennial, dropped mid last year, to now is amazing. Hitting high notes with ease and dancing across the sage I completely forget about the rest of the band behind her (sorry guys…) I am transfixed, and she is every bit the front woman, commanding the stage.
Kicking off the set with ‘Magazine’, ‘Give In’ and ‘Finger Tips’, with stunning floral visuals behind her as she twirled and danced, the photo pit became a bit of a scrum of elbows and weaving in and out as about 20 photographers vied for the best position. The set then built with tracks that really showcase Pavey’s vocals, such as ‘Overachiever’, ‘Private’, ‘First week’ and ‘Hold’, with stunning visuals accompanying her equally stunning voice.
Things were then stripped right back, with the band taking a break and Pavey pulling out the acoustic guitar for a highly emotional journey into ‘Pedestal’, ‘Cover Me’ and ‘Said Goodbye To Your Mother’, with accompanying visuals of Pavey singing along with tears running down her face truly bought on all the feels.
High levels of energy poured back into the room for ‘Regular Touch’, before wrapping up the set with a massive crowd singalong to ‘Lady Powers’, with Alice Ivy and Kira Peru joining the band on stage for hugs, singing, dancing and throwing of roses out into the adoring crowd, showcasing what incredible female talent our local industry is producing right now. Lady Powers indeed.
Reviewer & Photographer : Chrissy Kavalieros
VERA BLUE
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ALICE IVY
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