Live Review: Damien Rice, Gordi

Local Gordi was given the opportunity to wow the audience last night as a last minute support and she did just that, with an absolutely stunning set showcasing why she is considered one of Australia’s most exciting young musicians. Relying heavily on loops and synthesisers as she jumped from guitar to piano and back again, Gordi played a number of tracks from her debut album Reservoir that she has recently reworked for a new EP Beneath The Reservoir. The haunting new version of Heaven I Know, featuring heavily distorted vocals and an eerie accordion loop, was a definite standout from the set. 

With many of the audience having eagerly awaited his return to our shores since his last tour in 2007, there was an unmistakable feeling in the venue of welcoming a loved one back into the fold when Damien Rice took to the stage with little fanfare – potentially because of the countless Irish expats in the crowd, but probably moreso due to Rice’s ability to perform as if he knows his crowd intimately. 

The night was filled with storytelling, like all good nights with old friends should be. More often than not Rice would preface a song with a short (or sometimes long) tale about its origin, whether it be about misconstrued advances between friends (Amie), raining days in Ireland drinking wine with strangers (Cheers Darlin’), or dodgy construction in Dublin (Older Chests). Occasionally he would let the song speak for itself, like opener Delicate, which he sung unplugged in the dark, or the sorrowful 9 Crimes, with lyrics bitterly muttered as Rice hunched over a piano in the corner of the stage. 

It was all about the audience tonight with his encore of Cheers Darlin’ and The Blower’s Daughter conducted at a table for two on stage with wine and a lucky audience member. His setlist was created as he went along, made up of fan favourites shouted from the crowd. He even created a four-piece a cappella group out of the audience for Volcano, with audience members dutifully singing their parts before breaking into claps and stamping feet in time to Rice’s passionate conclusion to the song. 

There’s no doubt that Damien Rice is a master musician and a well versed performer, but it’s perhaps his Irish wit and talent for conversation that made this night one to remember. Hopefully the memories don’t need to last another decade before he visits again.