It’s no secret that a Monday night crowd is always tough but after a four year wait Kimbra made it look easy on the first night of her Australian tour. Last time she was in the country she was touring with Janelle Monae and the tour was cancelled halfway through the opening night in Adelaide due to Janelle falling sick. But this time she’s back to celebrate the release of her third studio album ‘Primal Heart’ and showcase a heavier electronic sound.
Walking on stage to an excited Brisbane crowd full of big smiles and a sense of intrigue and anticipation she started the show with the beautiful and mesmerizing ballad ‘Version Of Me’. Soaked in dark blue and red lighting she launched into the moody experimental tracks ‘High Def Distance Romance’, ‘The Good War’ and ‘Black Sky’. She greeted the crowd and exclaimed how great it was to be back and told them that she would be playing songs from her new album. And that’s exactly what she did with a few exceptions from a couple of old favourites. But the evening was mainly about ‘Primal Heart’ and the crowd didn’t seem to mind. She was joined onstage by two multi instrumentalists who helped bring this cinematic and electronic sound to life. Throughout the whole show Kimbra was lopping and using synths herself which gave you a unique insight to this DIY sound. She threw it back to her debut album with the catchy ‘Settle Down’ but gave it an electronic re-working that the crowd instantly started grooving along to before working in a chorus of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ for a little bit of nostalgia. New favourites ‘Human’, ‘Everybody Knows’ and ‘Like They Do On The TV’ followed pursuit and had the crowd singing along to their catchy hooks. But she then stripped it back for ‘Past Love’ which she picked up her old guitar to just belt it out and remind everyone that her musical roots were very much still in tact. She threw it back one last time with ‘Love In High Places’, ‘Two Way Street’ and ‘Sweet Relief’ before turning The Triffid into full dance mode with ‘Lightyears’ and ‘Top The World’.
As she walked off stage the crowd were still cheering and screaming for more and she obliged by returning for a solo performance of ‘Real Life’. This was one of the most captivating moments of the night as she stood there and lopped live vocals and synths together to create this bold and unique sound. As you walked out of the venue that night the lyrics “nothing to fear if you lose your mind, just keep your head up in the real life” replayed in your mind and had you feeling like you had just witnessed a very special and intimate show. Whilst there were a few technical difficulties throughout the evening she remained calm and delivered a visual and fun show full of heart and honesty. The way she grooved across the stage was so effortless and she seemed truly at home under the spotlight and being up close and personal with her fans.
Check out the full gallery captured by The Raveyard Photography HERE;
Photos by Blake Lewis