Sky Ferriera, Eves @ The Prince Bandroom, Melbourne (23/07/2014)
It takes a lot of musical savvy to be both an alt darling and a support for Miley Cyrus at the same time. Still, Sky Ferreira has managed to pull it off, coming off the, ahem, 'provocative' Bangerz tour with the spawn of Billy Rae to one of the most hyped acts of this years Splendor lineup. It's no wonder with Ferreira's oddly dark pop tunes that bring images of New Order, Pet Shop Boys and Kate Bush immediately to mind. With a list of influences like that, it's hard not to be hyped. So I trekked out into the middle of the harsh Melbourne winter to the Prince Bandroom to see if the hype held up.
Anyone who's working to bring back the Ian Curtis school of dance is alright in my books, so opener Eves was a treat. If you aren't instantly sold on an act based on pure front lady charm, then Eves still would have captured your interest. Backed by a drummer and programmer, sirens songs of dark pop not unlike Kate Bush |
floated through the Prince Bandroom. But considering how dancey Ferreira's music is, Eves is an odd fit with her stripped back and at times almost post-rock performance. Unfortunately this is evident in the crowd who rather than getting into the pulsing drums and haunting melodies simply view this set as just another wait before the headliner.
Peaking over the box barrier (very sneaky Prince of Wales) the setlist is in plain view. But what lies on the sheet brings up momentary panic. About half the set is crossed out with a pen. Sure enough when Sky Ferreira comes out these hastily marked songs are skipped over. Combined with Ferreira’s nervous stance, it's immediately clear something's wrong. It takes the encore to figure out just what that something is. "Sorry guys" Ferreira says "I'm a little bit sick tonight, and if I go too hard and have to cancel the next two shows I'm gonna be in shit." Suddenly, the quietness of her voice and her overall nervousness starts to make sense. After all, being sick on the first days of a first ever Australian tour is sure to bring anyone’s confidence down, and if you listen to the words that powerful voice is normally crooning, it’s obvious Ferreira doesn’t have a whole lot to begin with.
While the set is shortened, you can still tell Ferreira is putting her all into the performance and pushing herself to the breaking point. It's a quality over quantity thing. Still, walking out of a show 25 minutes before it's set to end is always a bit of a disappointment. Ferreira seems to share this disappointment too, based on how reserved she seemed during the first few songs. Ferreira ended her set with an older and newer cut, Everything Is Embarrassing and I Blame Myself. Despite having an incredibly strong performance, Ferreira’s face reflects these choices until the encore when finally her nerves disintegrate. Finally she proves that night time is in fact her time.
Ben Spencer
Peaking over the box barrier (very sneaky Prince of Wales) the setlist is in plain view. But what lies on the sheet brings up momentary panic. About half the set is crossed out with a pen. Sure enough when Sky Ferreira comes out these hastily marked songs are skipped over. Combined with Ferreira’s nervous stance, it's immediately clear something's wrong. It takes the encore to figure out just what that something is. "Sorry guys" Ferreira says "I'm a little bit sick tonight, and if I go too hard and have to cancel the next two shows I'm gonna be in shit." Suddenly, the quietness of her voice and her overall nervousness starts to make sense. After all, being sick on the first days of a first ever Australian tour is sure to bring anyone’s confidence down, and if you listen to the words that powerful voice is normally crooning, it’s obvious Ferreira doesn’t have a whole lot to begin with.
While the set is shortened, you can still tell Ferreira is putting her all into the performance and pushing herself to the breaking point. It's a quality over quantity thing. Still, walking out of a show 25 minutes before it's set to end is always a bit of a disappointment. Ferreira seems to share this disappointment too, based on how reserved she seemed during the first few songs. Ferreira ended her set with an older and newer cut, Everything Is Embarrassing and I Blame Myself. Despite having an incredibly strong performance, Ferreira’s face reflects these choices until the encore when finally her nerves disintegrate. Finally she proves that night time is in fact her time.
Ben Spencer