Live At The Gardens continued to bring the heat, both literally and metaphorically, with a scorcher of a day welcoming Chet Faker, Mildlife and Phoebe Go to Melbourne's Botanical Gardens stage on Friday night.
With another sweltering day rolling though for the third instalment of November's Live At The Gardens (22 November), Melburnians chose finding a grassy spot under the shade with an accompanying cool beverage instead of crowding the barricade early in the day.Learning from the past week's heat, a sprinkler walk-through passage saw a lot of action, with punters trying whatever they could to cool down.
With Phoebe Go opening at an early 6:15pm, an audience had now gathered on the lawn for the first act of the night, with some clear supporters present and accounted for. "I love you Phoebe!" shouted one audience member, receiving a glowing smile back from the singer.
Armed with an acoustic guitar and accompanying band, the four-piece played squished between covered instruments for later sets. Easing the crowd in, Phoebe's acoustic sound was the perfect way to kick off the night.
Phoebe Go - image © Harrison Innes
A switch up in the vibe, Mildlife brought their fusion of psychedelic jazz next. Right off the back of winning an ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album (their third ARIA for the same award), the Melbourne group played to a picturesque amphitheatre, lit by the sun rays poking through nearby trees.
While the group had a steady of increase of punters standing up to join in the groove, some decided to lean into the chill atmosphere and lay down to stare up at the blue skies.
Whether people watched the band with their eyes or with their ears, Mildlife gave them the perfect soundtrack to enjoy the final moments of the late afternoon light.
Mildlife - image © Harrison Innes
The sun now tucked into bed, Chet Faker entered the stage to low, blue and purple lights with fog cannons filling the air with a colourful mist. The air was quiet, leaving only the sound of crickets chirping in the background. A large LCD screen utilised a live feed to create a mesmerising and electric backdrop.
With the event tied in with the ten-year anniversary of Chet's (real name and alternate identity Nick Murphy) #1 album 'Built On Glass', the Melbourne-born icon moved through a combination of new renditions from this album and others – with a particularly fun and funky moment coming during his rendition of 'The Trouble With Us', which saw Murphy up and moving around from his keyboard- and synthesiser-surrounded station.
What was a slow and moving start to the set became a groovy rendition of low-key bangers, melting together to get the remaining audience up and moving. Those not fond of a cramped mosh fled to the edges of the crowd to dance freely.
Chet Faker - image © Harrison Innes
Reminiscing on the past, Murphy mentioned how grey hairs have recently intruded into his beard: "It's been ten years now. . . thank you for following me and my music."
While Murphy played the expected hits of 'Talk Is Cheap', 'No Diggity' and a fun and welcome rendition of 'Drop The Game' from his 2013 collaborative 'Lockjaw' EP with friend and labelmate Flume, it was the solo performance of '1998' that most stood out.
Originally an electronic track, the performance was stripped back to Murphy's voice and keyboard. It echoed around the gardens and filled every crevice with a sense of vulnerability that only Chet Faker can provide; it felt euphoric yet heartbreaking.
More photos from the concert.
