Live Review: Perfume Genius, Totally Mild

The delightful thing about local favourites Totally Mild is that they are just as mild as their name suggests. Playing tunes off their new album Her they deliver soft guitar jangles providing a luscious bed of sound for Elizabeth Mitchell's crystalline vocals to float across. A sweetly chill start to a long weekend.

Perfume Genius, Mike Hadreas' musical alter ego, shines brightly as he steps out onto the stage. Where 2014's Too Bright shifts from the indie feel of previous Perfume Genius albums, revealing Hadreas' adult pop star ambitions, last year's No Shape documents a luscious blossoming of the Perfume Genius sound. Whilst on previous tours Hadreas would shy behind an electric piano and play his tunes, he now steps away from the keys to turn out a powerful and awe-inspiring performance. 

Otherside showcases Hadreas' falsetto and is an intimate and gentle opener. Although he seems to need to concentrate to hit the notes, Longpig and Fool find Hadreas really showing off the power and versatility his voice. The setlist draws on material from all of his albums and the juxtaposition of old and new highlights Hadreas' transition from traumatised shame into No Shapes' more voluptuous bubble of love and desire. Looking confident in a leather jacket, Hadreas pulls shapes like Mick Jagger's been teaching him how to vogue. Beyond camp, his onstage persona works a kind of Bowie-like androgyny delivered to full diva-esque effect.

"I sometimes think it's weird that people pay to just watch me for about an hour every day," says Hadreas as the crowd giggles. "Sometimes the thought makes me freeze but most of the time I just stare back," he laughs before slipping into the tender Normal Song. Just Like Love and Valley are simple love songs that just glitter, Hadreas' vocals echoes with desire as his band create a really soft and out of focus noise.

Surprisingly much of the material off No Shape, when played live, comes with subtle old school rock'n'roll undercurrents. Along the way we are treated to covers of Body's In Trouble and the old Big Star song Kangaroo, which brought to mind This Mortal Coil's famous cover. Tonight Perfume Genius is presented as a trio drums and bass with Hadreas' partner Alan Wyffels on keys. The dramatic Die 4 You and Slip Away bring down the set ahead of a four song encore. Hadreas soars in more delicate and quieter moments. Alan which aches with love and desire is no exception. Predictably fan favourites Hood and Queen conclude the night with powerful anti-homophobic messages delivered with such strength and conviction there can be no doubting that Perfume Genius is ready to ascend the throne.