An eager and eclectic crowd filed in to the historic Fox Theater on Tuesday night for a glimpse of the spectacular multi-instrumentalist Gotye. Bolstered by last year's breakthrough record Making Mirrors, Wally De Backer and his band ran through a stunning set of sights and sounds.
Openers Zammuto and Chairlift provided an ambient and melancholic entree into the nights program, though it was clear that most of the crowd was arriving fashionably late to catch the headliner. Chairlift especially seemed at home in the granduer an elegance of the Fox, crafting textured synth-pop with a humble folk touch. Their lastest release, Something is simply brilliant.
After a brief intermission, the crowd pepped up a bit in anticipation of the headliner. Depsite being towards the tail end of a lengthy world tour, Gotye did not dissappoint on this night. Critically acclaimed as a songwriter, he is even more brilliant as a live performer. Gotye's complex arrangements or percussion and instrumentation could be easily reproduced as recorded loops and backing tracks, but Wally and his backing band seem to take pride in duplicating the process note for note with live instruments in real time.
Gotye ran through a mix of material from across all three of his solo releases, with an emphasis on the new Making Mirrors material. The stage was packed with more pads and triggers than a Radio Shack, and like a toddler with ADD, he frenetically transioned from one side of the stage to another, playing different drums and apparatuses with childlike enthusiasm. Accompanying the band was a spectacular backdrop of short films and animations unique to each song. The lights and graphics perfectly complimented the mood and movement of each song and did not detract from the music in the slightest.
As he moved from station to station throughout the set, one of the more powerful moments was his stint at the main drum kit for "The Only Thing I Know" from his debut Boardface. His position behind the main kit seemed to imply the driving power of the song, and the personal honesty of the song that could not be relicated by anyone else.
While the audience was surpisingly tepid for such an uplifting and energetic performance, the house came down with the opening notes his ubiquitous hit single "Somebody That I Used To Know." He was joined in the duet by Caroline of Charilfit to sing Kimbra's female lead. The set closed with is essential ballad "Hearts A Mess." After apologizing to the Soul and Spirit of Motown, Gotye popped out for a quick encore with his faux-town rave up "I Feel Better."
For more Gotye info check out his page here.
Photos by RebeccaMich