live music review: phoenix, aec theatre, feb 14

The presence of international bands on the iPods of Australians, like most English speaking populations, is generally rather limited. But it is a feat that French indie/synthpop band, Phoenix, have managed (though granted, English lyrics don’t hurt) and their performance at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on February 14th 2011 cemented their already solid reputation for all those who attended.

As a loyal patron of the Thebarton Theatre, as well as being, like most people from Adelaide, inherently averse toward any government-funded change in Adelaide City’s planning, I grizzled about the development of the AEC Theatre, convinced that this unnecessarily shiny complex was going to directly lead to the demise of my beloved Thebby.

After seeing Phoenix perform at the AEC Theatre, however, I have had to reassess my stance. The venue provided the extravagant lighting effects to aptly complement the band’s partly-energetic, and partly-suave performance, though they were occasionally bright to the point of distraction.

Opening their set in darkness and with what is undoubtedly the favourite for many fans, Lisztomania, Phoenix immediately set the bar high for what was to be a, dare I say it, ‘tight’ set. This was followed by Lasso and Long Distance Call, the latter showing that the band wasn’t just going to showcase their most recent release, ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’, despite being the album that brought them mainstream success in Australia.

Lead vocalist, Thomas Mars, fulfilled his front man duties exceptionally, sweet-talking and chatting to the audience, interspersed with jumping on various platforms and speakers both on and off stage (we’ll get to his end-of-show antics in a moment).

Highlights included the sole clicks of a metronome counting in to an interpretation of Funky Squaredance that was less squaredance and more funk, and hinted at the slightest influence of Eurotrash that inevitably accompanies growing up on a continent that takes Eurovision seriously. Slow build-ups and gradual instrumentation began many of their songs, and being from the city of love, the band of course paid tribute to Valentine’s Day, with a cover of AIR’s Playground Love, staying true to the original’s soul and showing that their musicianship extends beyond the upbeat tunes they’ve become best known for.

Having begun their set with Lisztomania, it was only natural that Phoenix would end the night with 1901. Mars ran into the audience, holding onto a red cord for easy detection that the crowd used to draw him into the middle and subsequently ‘surf’ him back to the front of stage. Although his microphone stopped working partway through this venture, it was a grand finale that left the audience satiated even without an encore.

Phoenix will be performing at the Parklands on the Gold Coast on February 19, and the Claremont Showground in Perth on February 20.

(Image credit: William Morris.)