Despite The Cinematic Orchestra’s beginnings in 1999 through leader Jason Swinscoe, the jazz electronic outfit only made their first appearance in Melbourne back in 2009 at the Palais Theatre.
That was three years after the release of Ma Fleur, their last proper album release, which would propel them onto the international stage via the inexplicably beautiful ‘To Build A Home’ which still to this day features on several advertisements and TV shows. But more on that later.
With backing from Philharmonia Australia for their Melbourne Festival appearance the six-piece British outfit would lean less heavily on their electronic nascency and draw more from the instrumental jazz numbers that would characterize their later work.
Both the string and brass section entered the stage early, an expected custom of such a performance at Melbourne’s fine Hamer Hall. Although a single cheer from the audience would suggest that maybe there were more than a few present that weren’t acclimatised to this type of show.
Midway through opener ‘Burn Out’ the premature applause of some crowd members would prove this. Although in fairness while The Cinematic Orchestra’s songs can generally be a drawn out affair the act have built a reputation around extending their songs into onstage jams.
While witnessing the fervor of the group with their evident grins only making the performance more enjoyable for the audience their extended jazz rumblings at times made the presence of Philharmonia Australia feel under utilised.
Yet when each member on the stage engaged with their instruments the devastating power of The Cinematic Orchestra was on full display.
The vocal additions of Heidi Vogal who frequently entered and exited the stage only added to this lush sentimentality with early sound issues swiftly corrected. Her vocal takes on ‘Breath’ and closer ‘All That You’re’ were as striking as the string section and as dominant as the brass ensemble.
Grey Reverand’s take on ‘Music Box’, was one of the few songs that contained proper lyrical structure, which therefore lends itself as a highlight yet only for the process differentiation.
The six-piece are less famous for such songs and more known for their enthralling instrumentals. This was no more evident than when Tom Chant harnessed his saxophone for numerous spectacular solos. The longer his contribution, the longer and more ecstatic the applause.
Playing for over an hour The Cinematic Orchestra vacated the stage for what could be the lamest encore ever witnessed.
By this stage the outfit were yet to perform the seminal song of their career and if that hadn’t tipped the crowd off Philharmonia Australia, who remained seated, certainly did.
Undeniably harmless, the encore was unnecessary and had a small impact on the finale where the performance felt as though it had more than run its course.
Returning to the stage Swinscoe gave a small explanation of Grey Reverand’s take on ‘To Build A Home’ with the former lamenting the many YouTube commenters who prefer the original version which features the vocals of Patrick Watson.
Larry Brown, the man behind the Grey Reverand moniker, gave a beautiful rendition of the group’s biggest song. However with just his guitar and only a short appearance from the string section towards the end of the track it’s not hard to understand why so many fans take issue with this version.
After all, the original with a crescendo building piano and a vital string contribution swells with the ‘cinematic’ proportions that most admire the group for.
It was a slight disappointment to hear this version, yet nonetheless expected given the many years Grey Reverand has been touring with The Cinematic Orchestra.
This however did not render the entire performance sub par. When both Philharmonia Australia and The Cinematic Orchestra combined Hamer Hall was overtaken with the perception that – just like the oft description of their recorded music – these were the sounds that would soundtrack our lives.
Few acts live up to the elevated sense of euphoria that comes with this band’s name. But The Cinematic Orchestra does just as their title suggests.
