Surrounded by artists like Mr Scruff and Coldcut during his employment in export sales for Ninja Tunes in 1999, The Cinematic Orchestra’s band leader Jason Swinscoe began the process of producing tracks in his downtime. Ten years and six albums later, The Cinematic Orchestra have attracted a diverse following from hardcore musos through to straight up music lovers, thanks to their blend of brassy beats and sweeping soundscapes.

Touring Australia for their primary engagement at the 2009 Sydney Festival, The Cinematic Orchestra were rewarded on Monday night with an enthusiastic sellout crowd for their one and only appearance in Adelaide. The Cinematic Orchestra guided the audience through an experience of lush cinematic landscapes that shifted through traditionally structured vocal arrangements, experimental musings, and back. Influences evident included Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation amongst other modern jazz classics such as St Germain.

Opening with the epic track ‘Burn Out’, The Cinematic Orchestra hinted at an epic and exotic journey, with gentle beats punctuated by intense crescendos. ‘Child Song’ was an early peek at the vocals treat that is Heidi Vogel, who was filling the intimidating shoes of previous Cinematic Orchestra femmes including Fontella Bass (of the classic ‘Rescue Me’ fame). Reminiscent of Shara Nelson, the original diva of Masive Attack’s ‘Blue Lines’ era, Vogel’s richness of voice was the standout highlight of the performance. ‘All That You Give’ also featured strings reminiscent of ‘Eurochild by Massive Attack, whilst ‘Breathe’ left the audience, literally, breathless.

The three track encore featured a sensational acoustic version of the most famous of their songs, ‘To Build a House’ from the popular Schweppes ‘bursting balloons’ television advertisement. It was a fitting end to an excellent show. However, having previously heard recordings of The Cinematic Orchestra, I think they may have been somewhat let down on the night with the balance of sound. While the majority of the instruments melded seamlessly in volume and tone, the sax overwhelmingly dominated the other instruments and vocals.

The only other disappointment was the lack of visuals, which they have toured with previously elsewhere. Being known as ‘The Cinematic Orchestra’ and taking into account the track writing technique of Jason Swinscoe alongside his scriptwriter (particularly on the ‘Ma Fleur’ album) suggests the twin visual and aural elements are almost essential for this type of performance, and would have added great value to the experience overall.