Reviewed on Tuesday January 27 (photo by Ashley Mar)
A relaxed Tuesday evening gig with the opportunity to unwind before hump day is usually going to be a winner. And as it turned out, Norwegian band Highasakite and Melbourne producer Japanese Wallpaper provided an excellent combination of relaxed yet vibrant sounds for this working week.
Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Japanese Wallpaper kicked things off by playing peacefully to a still audience. Though beautiful, at first his swirling notes left the crowd in quiet, detached reflection. However, as his set went on, the sound became the hero of his performance. He created well-paced transitions, floating from one song to the next, and his voice was calm and comforting to a now captivated crowd.
Highasakite made an attention-grabbing entrance when they stepped onstage into a simple setting of shadows and ghostly, glowing lamps. The lighting allowed lead singer Ingrid Helene Havik to quite literally shine, and make the vocals the focus.
As their performance went on, Highasakite demonstrated intriguing variation in their music, flipping from mystical thrumming beauties to upbeat, syncopated numbers. The use of backup vocals added incredible dynamic strength – it created a sound that engulfed the room. However, while their sound is special, it’s truly their showmanship that makes them stand out from other indie bands.
Havik made a deep impression with her silvery, controlled vocals, but it was guitarist and flugabone extraordinaire Kristoffer Lo who really stole the show. Dancing like a classic rock god, playing his electric guitar with a bow and wielding his brass instrument with bizarre mastery, you could almost forget that all the other layers existed. This was particularly other-worldly in the beautiful encore, a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Heavenly Father’.
If anything, the Norwegians’ set may have been one or two songs too long, slightly detracting from the uniqueness of tracks like ‘Darth Vader’ and ‘Since Last Wednesday’. But Highasakite proved they have much more to offer than one or two popular singles, and are certainly one live act to keep an eye on.
