Killing Heidi @ Metro Theatre Review

Hell freezes over and pigs fly overhead as Killing Heidi walk onto the Metro Theatre stage (8 June) in the year 2017.

It’s not quite that dramatic, of course, but what one has to consider is this is something nobody could have foreseen, least of all the Hooper siblings themselves. For them, it’s about acknowledging how much of an impact this band has had on their lives as well as serving as a thank you of sorts to those that made them a turn-of-the-century pop commodity here in Australia.

Of course, a lot has changed since the heyday of the band. None of the songs are performed in their original key, for one; given vocalist Ella Hooper was all of 17 when the band’s breakthrough ‘Reflector’ was recorded. The Hooper's multi-coloured hair-dos are also long gone, replaced with sensible cuts in their natural colour.

Killing Heidi in Brisbane 10 June, 2017 - image © Zoe Russell

Still, as the saying goes, the song remains the same. It’s about the tenderness of ‘Black Sheep’, ‘Astral Boy’ and ‘Kettle’. It’s about the bombast and angst of ‘Leave Me Alone’ and ‘Outside Of Me’, the latter of which Ella gently mocks as she emotes the “it’s not fair” refrain. It’s about knowing where you’ve come from to know where you’re going as the familiar sounds of ‘Weir’ and ‘Mascara”’ appear; they immediately form a comforting bubble of nostalgia.

Simultaneously, however, they serve as assurance that if you can be in attendance at a 2017 Killing Heidi show anything is possible. We’ll make it in the end.

Click here for photos from Killing Heidi's Brisbane show.

The main support is Nikki Thorburn aka Iluka. Backed by a sturdy trio of musicians, Thorburn is confident in channelling influences – Stevie Nicks, Lanie Lane – while adding some of her own flavour into the mix for good measure.

Her vocals – equal parts sugar and spice – prove to be her strongest point; enhanced greatly by the collective musicianship on stage and the inventive soundscapes that serve as its backdrop. It’s baffling, then, why she would choose to use pre-recorded backing vocals, especially with a band that already has microphones in front of them.

Such a practice is common within mainstream pop singers, but Iluka’s use of them is questionable and disappointing. Still, it’s a minor quarrel; easily overcome when the music itself is doing the talking.