Reviewed on Friday March 31
It’s easy to get swept up in the buzz surrounding a venue before a gig. Well, it is when punters are dressed in their best ’80s and fluoro aerobic gear; when a pristine vintage off-white limousine is dropping off its share of the sold-out crowd out the front of the Enmore Theatre; and when Client Liaison are set to take the stage.
All things considered, there wasn’t really a better choice of support than Luke Million, the producer and keytar, synth and novelty song enthusiast, with his fun, retro dance delights maintaining the buzz and oiling up an already loose crowd. While his take on the Stranger Things theme song is his latest popular earworm, old favourite ‘Arnold’ was the right slice to end his set with the floor bobbing up and down to its respective commands.
Oversized water coolers, indoor plants and computer monitors were unveiled onstage as Parliament House flashed up on the screen. The wattle-coloured, Australiana-themed suits belonging to Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller emerged, and the strains of ‘Canberra Won’t Be Calling Tonight’ filled the Enmore. Already, Client Liaison had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands, even before Morgan proved his chops on the didgeridoo.
It was an evening full of coordinated posing, sing-alongs, seduction and self-indulgence. In other words, entertainment the only way Client Liaison know how, with as much to see as to hear. Older tracks ‘Pretty Lovers’ and ‘Feeling’ sat alongside Diplomatic Immunity’s ‘Hotel Stay’ and ‘Wild Life’, and the cheese factor was turned up midway through the set when the ATO ‘called’. Could they have done without the gag? Sure, but it was all part of the world Morgan and Miller have created for themselves and their fans.
As the air cannon went into overdrive, shirts were removed and the disco vibes reached deluxe levels, ‘Feed The Rhythm’ and ‘Off White Limousine’ smoothly surrounded Armand Van Helden’s 1999 classic ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and Savage Garden’s ‘I Want You’. It was good, clean fun in all its nostalgic musical glory.
As Morgan handed out flowers and confetti pumped its way across the theatre, it was hard to imagine Client Liaison ever having graced a smaller stage with their larger-than-life presence, show and adoring crowd. Who knows what’s in store next, but one thing’s for sure: it’ll be the height of entertainment.
