Live Review: Bryan Ferry

The Disko was well and truly in motion by the time Melbourne funk legends I'm Talking wrapped their first song – an upbeat and overall fun start to the band's for first official show in 30 years.

They were "punching out the hits", revisiting party starter Do You Wanna Be? from '86 LP Bear Witness, complete with lighting fast key work from Stephen Charlesworth and tight vocals from celebrated band leaders Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne.

The Holy Word continued, and sax-laden cut How Can It Be? injected a soul edge to the night before one of their first charting singles, Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, showcased Ceberano’s soaring range, backed by jazz instrumentation.

Lead The Way reignited the dance party temporarily, but nothing matched the infectious energy of Love Means Everything, which was peak '80s with its thick bass, quirky muted guitar lines, metallic key twangs and ear-piercing sax solos – a set highlight.

Roadies frantically darted around the stage in a manner that almost looked choreographed, completely transforming it with the addition of an artillery of instruments as heavy smoke began to fill the area.

In the blink of an eye, eight backing musicians dressed in black materialised to the beat of The Main Thing, and it was truly a classy affair when Roxy Music legend Bryan Ferry glided into the spotlight.

The song’s elegant vocal melodies were at odds with soaring riffs, a wild sax solo and booming drums, creating an intense and theatrical opening.

Slave To Love was up next, with backing vocals adding more depth to Ferry's seductive vocal tone; it was clear the British musician had surrounded himself with stunning talented musicians, as evident during Don't Stop The Dance when Australian saxophonist Jorja Chalmers unleashed a show-stopping solo (one of many times she stole the show).

Haunting viola and saxophone lines danced around one another during Out Of The Blue, while stage lighting flickered violently to great effect, perfectly complementing the lush melodies from Ferry.

The transition to '80s hits A Wasteland and Bête Noire showcased the singer's eclectic back catalogue, with Ferry crooning in fine form across both. The two hits maintained a repetitive beat, driven by the ebbs and flows of his vocals and calm, calculated dance moves.

Zamba rounded out the intense romantic trio of European-esque ballads and it was back to the Roxy Music rock, the drums and bass of Stronger Through The Years so solid you could feel them resonating through your chest. During its bridge, it was hard to know where to look, with all nine musicians on stage offering up the best they had.

2018’s Bitter-Sweet took fans on a journey that managed to sum up Ferry's essence in four minutes, blurring the line between genres and finding itself somewhere between a jam session and art piece.

Near set's end, the red velvet curtain at the back of the stage parted to reveal a series large jagged lines behind the stage backed by a glowing green backdrop, which added more depth to an already engaging In Every Dream Home A Heartache.

"It's so great to be back in Australia," Ferry said, addressing the crowd properly for the first time. "Hope you like the selection of songs tonight," he added, taking fans back to the first Roxy Music LP with If There Is Something.

What followed was an onslaught of Roxy Music singles that anyone would be hard-pressed to be displeased with, as Re-Make/Re-Model and More Than This transitioned into the soulful vibes of Avalon, epic singalongs for Love Is The Drug and Virginia Plain.

Fans then threw their arms around one another for John Lennon classic Jealous Guy and the night came to a close with Let's Stick Together.

Ferry and co are all business and can fit more entertainment into an hour-and-a-half than most other acts.