Tonight got off to a great start with a pleasingly rowdy set from New Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands. The four piece, influenced by such post punk bands as Gang Of Four and The Church, proceeded to rip their way through a very enjoyable half hour set. They definitely got the crowd in a great mood for the headlining act of the evening, Architecture In Helsinki. Musical high points of Cut Off Your Hands were tracks like ‘Still Fun’ and ‘You and I’, which came up an absolute treat on a live front. A very good choice as support act this evening.
The Forum seemed to fill up in no time between the support and main acts. This was a crowd that very much consisted of faithful Architecture In Helsinki fans. Arriving onstage amid a mass of neon and dry ice, the band, led by the enigmatic and energetic Cameron Bird, proceeded to launch into a hugely enjoyable hour and a half set.
Bird, at several points, expressed his love for The Forum and how it had always been a goal to play here. The joy and enthusiasm that both he and the rest of the band felt tonight was infectious and palpable. This was reflected beautifully by a very enthusiastic and passionate crowd, who were singing and dancing along to most of the set. Tonight was all about fun; something that Architecture In Helsinki, going by tonight’s wonderful performance, specialise in.
On a musical front, the band, performing tonight as a six piece, were wonderful to both watch and listen to. Their love of early-1980s synth pop is very much to the forefront. One can sense a big New Wave influence with their music. For this scribe, early Prince and The Human League in particular stuck out as a huge influence on Architecture In Helsinki; the beautiful interplay of boy/girl vocals between Bird and keyboardist, Kellie Sutherland, showed this to a great degree. One of the highlights of the night was ‘This Beep’, with Sutherland and her wonderful voice up front and centre.
Tonight featured a great set list, which drew heavily from the band’s early material. Tracks such as ‘Lazy (Lazy)’, ‘Heart It Races’ and ‘W.O.W’ sounded fantastic given the live treatment to a very receptive crowd.
It is truly heartening to see such a positive and happy feeling and vibe at a live concert, especially when the band in question are obviously having a great time on stage.
The night ended on a great note with the band performing ‘Contact High’, the first single from their latest album released earlier this year, the wonderful Moment Bends.
A great night. This was a great homecoming for a fine Melbourne band.
– Neil Evans
