Reviewed on Saturday January 21 (photo by Ashley Mar)
Amanda Palmer is one of those artists who inspires a devout and colourful following, and onstage at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, stripped back to nothing but piano, uke and voice (and a giant glittering clitoris sculpture, the Glitoris), she delivered what was frankly one of the best gigs I’ve seen in some time.
I happened to catch Palmer a handful of times up at the Woodford Folk Festival, where she shone, but nothing like what we were treated to in Sydney. At every show you hope for those moments where a song somehow manages to both electrify you and leave you rooted to the spot in awe; here, that was almost every song.
It began with Brendan Maclean (in a rather marvellous frock) providing a ukulele version of ‘Stupid’; we would see him again throughout the night, most emotionally in a duet cover of John Grant’s ‘Glacier’ following his account of a rather ugly encounter he experienced with an attendee at Woodford.
Given the popularity of Palmer’s own ‘Ukulele Anthem’ (which indeed concluded the night), it seemed fitting that the set was littered with uke numbers. Energetic though they were, it was when she sat at the piano, glass of wine and raconteur smile at the ready, that the night truly soared. On the opposite side of the harbour Nick Cave was playing, and several Cave references and impressions found their way into the performance. Indeed, in addition to the actual songs, a significant part of the evening saw Palmer reflecting on the everyday foibles of her life now with an infant son and wonderfully odd husband (Neil Gaiman, who made a very moving guest appearance to recite Leonard Cohen’s ‘Democracy’ as Palmer accompanied gently on piano). Her conversation is hilarious, though in truth, I felt the continued encouragement for audiences to support her on Patreon – worthwhile though that may be – a bit much after a while.
But the songs, Jim! The songs! ‘Coin-Operated Boy’ was there of course – I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy that bridge. ‘The Killing Type’ was an early and energetic audience favourite, though for my money, the clear stand-out in an evening of exceptional performances was the spellbinding ‘Ampersand’.
Other cover songs wove their way into the show – Regina Spektor’s ‘Uh-Merica’ and a darkly earnest ‘Cats In The Cradle’. But it was Palmer’s own material that made the night what it was. From the heartbreaking ‘The Bed Song’ to the raucous ‘Map Of Tasmania’, it was a concert few will soon forget.
