Reviewed onTuesday May 31
As an avid follower of Sampa The Great since hearing her mixtape last year, it gives me slight disappointment that tonight she has selected a gig of such high regard to simply roll out a DJ set with her main musical sidekick Godriguez on the decks. Sampa’s live band is nothing short of spectacular, and aside from the logistical reasons surrounding this decision, songs such as ‘Weoo’ – usually featuring the sultry vocals of Meklit Kibret in its contemplative chorus – just seem to feel a little flat. But there is no denying her sound and flow is completely on point. Take her track ‘Jamal’, in which she constantly repeats the main hook “I’m obliged to be a friend not an enemy” with such sass and a huge smile that it’s infectious. With that, she struts off the stage in a mock diva display, leaving an amused Godriguez to trail after her, shaking his grinning head.
Seven very contrasting people take to the stage after the instrument and lighting tweaks, most of them looking relatively casual except for lead singer Nai Palm, who sports a shining sequinned leotard, fur overcoat and a rather fantastic feathered headpiece. She looks like the most tropical bird of paradise you’d come across in all of Australia.
After Melbourne’s own Hiatus Kaiyote simper through the crashing intro ‘Choose Your Weapon’ from their latest album of the same name, we’re introduced to its follow-up – the slow-building ‘Shaolin Monk Motherfunk’ – as they perform inside a figure-eight cage of light.
The show inspires goosebumps. Maybe it’s the sheer versatility, power and intimacy of Nai Palm’s vocal ability (best showcased in ‘Breathing Underwater’ and encore ‘By Fire’). Maybe it’s the intricate layering of different elements of sound, such as the percussive clicks and Latin-inspired presence of ‘The World It Softly Lulls’ from previous album Tawk Tomahawk).
Whatever the case, you cannot take your eyes off this seven-piece. With most of the audience sitting entranced rather than boogieing down, Hiatus Kaiyote and their incredibly rousing light show solidify themselves as a standout act of Vivid LIVE 2016.
