Live Review: Sydney Festival: Gotye Presents A Tribute To Jean-Jacques Perrey

Immigration has enriched this country beyond measure and there is no greater example of this than the music that is produced from overseas-born artists we have come to adore. Despite living in Australia most of his life, Wally De Backer was born in Belgium. He immigrated here with his family at the age of two, decades before creating music with The Basics and as Gotye.

De Backer's skill at creating unique sounds using an array of percussion and instruments in his solo guise undoubtedly led him to his, let's say, obsession with synthesisers. This obsession took him to Switzerland, where he met and befriended the French electronic-music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey several years ago.

Perrey was (before his sad passing in 2016) the sole virtuoso of the Ondioline, a very rare, handmade precursor to the modern synthesiser, invented by Frenchman Georges Jenny in 1941. It is with two of these unique instruments (of which there are only around 700, with De Backer owning 11) and the addition of Moog synths, a Theremin, clarinet, flute, bass, guitar and drums that De Backer has created his Ondioline Orchestra.

Throughout the 80-minute set, we were treated to anecdotes of De Backer's search for the elusive instrument, his meeting with Perrey and beautiful performances of a litany of glorious songs that were created in the 1960s and 70s. The music was eclectic but ultimately poppy and exciting. There were melody lines that we recalled and rhythms that built between the members of the band.

And what a band! De Backer's keyboard skills are excellent, but tonight they were surpassed by Rob Schwimmer (he has worked with Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and Queen Latifah among others) and former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Joe McGinty. Their fingers danced over the myriad of keys before them, especially in the ridiculously fast and synchronised back and forth of Gossipo Perpetuo.

There were a number of songs that highlighted the wacky and astounding sounds made possible thanks to the Ondioline, which was operated with the help of a knee lever along with switch adjustments on the front to alter the sound from anything like a duck, to keys or a bassoon. Mod Ghost gave Schwimmer a chance to dance with the Theremin, while Flight Of The Bumblebee, with samples of actual bees, showed just how ahead of his time Perrey was.

Ultimately, De Backer owned the stage with his upbeat and delightful stories as well as his infectious smile and obvious delight at being on stage with such talented musicians. His little giggles and smirks at the audience as he hit his sampler with the next strange sound or gave the vibraslap a whack proved that he's there because he loves it and enjoys the crowd reaction. He even invited people to come and sit a little closer, although the layout of the stage and the four stands 'in the round' was beautifully conceived.

Seeing De Backer back on our shores with a Sydney Festival show that educated and inspired was a special treat and one that should not be missed. While we all wait patiently for the next Gotye record, we should take the time to appreciate that an immigrant to this country is able to share his indomitable talents on a world-class scale. A stupendous spectacle.