It was, as they say, a dark and stormy night. Furious wind, pelting rain and a distinct lack of crowd greeted us as we arrived at Metros for Morcheeba. There was but one lone ranger outside the locked doors, forlornly huddled and waiting for her friends to arrive.
A quick coffee around the corner ensued. Arriving back at the venue warmed and fortified, we found a fairly meagre crowd trying to protect themselves against the elements and inside, a sparsely populated main room.
Some warm-up beats provided by an invisible DJ created a much-needed sense of anticipation, nicely smooth and funky house with a tech edge. A vividly lit red stage looked promising but no one was setting foot on the dance floor, choosing instead to cluster in small groups around the edge. To entertain ourselves, we wandered around and around, checking out the diverse crowd as they arrived.
First to hit the stage were Little Birdie, a local band fronted by a diminutive lady with a powerful set of vocal chords. Soaring and husky by turn, it was a voice reminiscent of Kate Bush with a pinch of PJ Harvey. A set of perfectly pleasant guitar-driven tunes followed, always driven by the haunting and mesmerising vocals. It was an interesting and surprisingly rocky choice of a support act, but a good display of local talent.
In the interval between bands, people started to stream to the dance floor and within minutes it was packed. The sense of excitement was palpable and everyone went mental when Morcheeba hit the stage for their first ever Australian performance.
It took years, but they got here in the end and it was well worth the wait. The band was clearly happy to be on Australian soil, sporting mile-wide grins for the duration of their performance. All eyes immediately focused on lead singer Skye, the sexiest, sultriest, smiliest chanteuse these shores have seen in a long time – definitely the star of the show.
What followed was an enticing mixture of songs from the back catalogue as well as new material from Charango. It was a hypnotic experience, helped along visually by the languidly dancing and skirt-flipping Skye. A dreamy rendition of The Sea set the scene for a couple of hours of chilled-out, soulful sounds, washing over the ever more responsive crowd. A sparse rendition of Otherwise was driven by Skye’ sultry vocals and fantastic old favourites like T ape Loop and Trigger Hippie played out live created a stunning depth no CD player could hope to recreate.
Blissful performances of Process and Love Sweet Love saw an ecstatic mood settle over the crowd. Guitars journeyed from whacked-out moog to jangling cowboy-influenced strings and drawling, wailing notes rained from the keyboard. By the time we reached the dance-tipped Be Yourself, it seemed like every pair of feet in the house were dancing and everyone was shaking their booty-thang along with Skye.
Pink Floyd influences shone through clearly on the dreamy Aqualung and Moog Island, the wah-wah sounds of the psychedelic 70s played out with twisty guitars and a trip-hop edge. The material from the new album offered a perkier, happier, dancier vibe; when played alongside the tripped-out, sultrier earlier material, it is clear the band’s sound has evolved over the years. They seem to be a tighter outfit than ever, laughing and kidding about onstage and with the audience, and clearly relaxed and at ease with each other. A fantastic performance of Joelene played up the jokey and cowboy-tinged vibe, much to everyone’s delight.
When Morcheeba left the stage, the audience screamed themselves hoarse, desperate for an encore that was obligingly provided. The night was rounded off with a stunning, heartfelt performance of Over and Over, drawing an awed hush. This was quickly followed with the vibrant Rome wasn’t Built in a Day, leaving everyone in the mood to keep on dancing.
I could have stayed there all night, wrapped warmly in the snug, soulful sounds. We floated out of the venue and down the road, hardly noticing the rain, chuffed at having witnessed one of the best performances Perth is likely to have seen for a long time. I just hope it isn’t going to take them another eight years to come back!
