If there was ever a perfect venue to see the cabaret, punk, devil-may-care artist Amanda Palmer, then The Spiegeltent was it. Anyone that has lived on the fringe of society among the goon-drinking, art student crowd were made to feel at home at this gig – not to mention fans of her old stuff, the Sydney Festival culturists, and middle-aged hipsters.
With a simple red-lit stage amidst the antiquity of The Spiegeltent, Palmer commanded the focus of the crowd like a Madame in a house of ill repute, or perhaps a mad judge in a Dustbowl era novel. She kept her engagement lighthearted at times and heavier in others, displaying a nice contrast for the evening.
The artist commenced her set wearing a silky little number and, with an unplugged ukulele in tow, playfully worked her way through ‘In My Mind’, striking an instant bond with her attentive crowd. Even with a slightly flat voice, the confidence in her own ability was evident and made up for any tuning issues.
Palmer localised her set by playing ‘Australia’. The performer backed-up the tune nicely with banter about her love for this country and her hate for one of our national foods before singing ‘Vegemite (The Black Death)’. The hilarious love song was written for her husband and compares the taste of the spread to batteries and asses. Perfect.
From the vaults of The Dresden Dolls, Palmer pulled out ‘Coin Operated Boy’, a rendition she sang with great theatrics while playing somewhere between precision and fumbled schmords, resulting in a slight vaudevillian vibe. Thankfully, she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
As the set progressed, the American entertainer showed terrific control over her voice. There were no vocal gymnastics and melismatic exhibitionisms – instead, her musicianship was effortless as she floated between the keys and ukulele like old lovers.
To add a little bit of performance art into the mix, Palmer took on Ted Egan’s ‘The Drover’s Boy’, a tale of tragic outback love brought to life by a young model that walked through the crowd. As she shed her Drizabone and Akubra, the bells of St. Mary’s played in the background. The performer’s nudity against the soft refrain of the bells lent an eerie realism to the morose ballad.
A definite highlight of the evening was Palmer’s duet with Brendan Maclean. More moving than the original, their rendition of the Bat For Lashes hit ‘Laura’ was complete with Maclean offering beautiful and emotional harmonies to Palmer’s clean delivery. The crowd was silent throughout.
Toward the end of the set, the audience were treated to a new song that can only be referred to as extremely fucking intense and confronting. Death, rape, and the internet. Need one say more?
‘Ukulele Anthem’ lifted the spirits back up, reminding those in attendance how special the artist is. The newly acquainted members in the room were won over by just how much a little instrument, a lot of talent, and a wicked sense of humour can accomplish.
No Amanda Palmer gig would be complete without the vaginally focused ‘Map Of Tasmania’. The crowd were not disappointed when the tongue-in-cheek number was played perfectly by the performer who obviously loves what she does and appreciates being able to do it.
Good for you Sydney Festival for bringing Amanda Palmer back. She said that she had played in tents all over the world but that The Spiegeltent was her favourite. Whether that’s true or not, she played like it was.
