Though much is written of the harrowing lyrics which underpin Mike Hadreas’s work performing as Perfume Genius, many neglect to mention that many of his simple piano ballads are so simple, delicate and beautiful that they could be wouldn’t be out of place soundtracking a 'Grey's Anatomy' episode.
His 2012 album, ‘Put Your Back N 2 It’, ventured more boldly than the naked discomfort that 2010 album ‘Learning’ sometimes ventured towards, and ventured dangerously close to the middle-class dinner-party audience that had repulsed the members of Portishead (whose Adrian Utley played bass and synth on the recording of ‘Too Bright’) after the reaction to their debut album 'Dummy' 20 years ago.
The change of direction made with ‘Too Bright’ was a risky one, but has been positively received both critically and commercially and in the interests of longevity was a resounding success. Fleshing out the sound to a complete band, and embracing electronics gave them a reinvigorated sound that not only works as a strong body of work alone, but also shows great potential and excitement in where they take it next.
The piano ballads still remain, and are still where Hadreas is at his most effective, highlighting his striking fragile delivery. If he wanted, he could knock out album after album of tracks like ‘Learning’ and I’m sure he’d have a comfortable career, but that’s not what makes an artist interesting or makes you care about them and is clearly not enough for Mike Hadreas. It’s safe to say that ‘My Body’ or ‘Grid’ won’t be on a ‘Relaxing Sunday Morning’ playlist anytime soon and I for one am glad about that.
As part of this change, Mike Hadreas now performs as part of a four-piece band, allowing him to take the spotlight as a microphone wielding frontman for some of the newer tracks. “No family is safe when I sashay,” he sings on ‘Queen’, and after this performance it’s clear what he means. Dressed in a sheer-grey dress and torn stockings, he’s barely still for a moment whether posing for the cameras, or giving the crowd some sultry moves, it’s as though he was born for the stage.
The theatrical centrepiece of ‘Fool’ is suspended as his voice raises higher and higher before reaching a belting falsetto that earns him a round of applause before the song can continue. He’s clearly comfortable with this new role; “I’ve been practicing my banter” he told us as he revealed that ‘Learning’ is the only song he’s written with “made-up lyrics”. He seems relaxed and relatively carefree, which is understandable considering this is the last date of their Australian tour and the venue is far from sold out. With the looming Cyclone Marcia putting many off leaving their homes, there’s a solidarity among those who have made it.
Though it’s a joy to see this more extroverted outing of Perfume Genius, those moments where he shines brightest are still when the music is reduced to its core elements. It was a touching moment when Alan Wyffels shared a stool with Mike to perform a piano duet of ‘Learning’ or when Mike played out the tragic tale of ‘Mr. Peterson’ with nothing but his voice and the piano. The juxtaposition of such simple, tender ballads and the subjects they address - “My work came back from class with notes attached of a place and time or how my body kept him up at night” - is the crux of what he does so well.
The lost innocence which pairs an upbeat melody like ‘Dark Parts’ with lyrics like “The hands of God were bigger than grandpa's eyes but still he broke the elastic on your waist but he'll never break you, baby” would come across as cheesy in the hands of a lesser man, but even two years after its original release, it’s hard not to be affected and mildly discomforted by hearing Mike play it up on the stage.
Mike Hadreas is a tortured soul who holds nothing back in what he puts into his music, much like one of their biggest influences, Xiu Xiu. Though where Xiu Xiu have almost become predictable in their weirdness to the extent that singing about ‘Black Dick’ just feels so normal somehow, Perfume Genius continues to adapt and change in modest yet unexpected ways.
It’s not until the encore that the band break into lead single ‘Queen’ after a false start, a track unusually bold in its mission statement. “Don't you know your queen?” asks Mike. Yes, yes I do, and long may she continue to reign.
