"Welcome. It's been a while," is the simple greeting Damien Rice gives and for close to the next two hours we are taken on a journey through Damien's fatalistic psyche –that is at times far more uncomfortable than his mostly delicate, acoustic-based musical backing would have it seem.
Although the evening (22 January) starts with the deceptively gentle 'The Professor & La Danse Fille', before this Damien's introductory, extended, spoken pre-ramble about the variable lengths of relationships and the lifetimes of insects and butterflies orgasming is a primer for the performances to follow.Amongst the delicate beauty of the songs he is most well known for, there are contrasting forays with lyrical content encompassing raw, primal, hedonistic sexual urges and physicality that there is no hiding from – most notably a couple of songs later during the intense 'Woman Like A Man'.
Who can tell if opener 'The Professor & La Fille Danse' is one song or two (although I lean towards the later citing the second half being sung in French), a masterful blending of one song into another that he does again in a later medley of 'Amie' including 'Sex Change' and 'Eskimo' in its span.
'Cannonball' is performed kneeling on the stage (and not for the only time as he later performs 'Older Chests', casually guiding us through the recording process for the demo and then performing an approximation of the recording, kneeling on the stage with one microphone propped up in his shoe).
A comfortable performer, he makes the stage his own, next moving to sit at the keys for the heartfelt longing of 'Accidental Babies'. Following this is when he performs the aforementioned 'Woman Like A Man', and the previously yellow-lit stage becomes red for this song during which he plays an abstract style of infinite guitar a la U2's the Edge accompanied by pulsing strobe lighting before the song is transformed into hard rock with his buzz-saw guitar playing.
Afterwards, Damien introduces his current musical partner Brazilian Francisca Barretto to join him and she plays cello; and with eyes closed they sing 'Volcano' together. It's like a performance reset and after a slight pause to reorient himself, Damien takes a request for 'Amie'.
He asks Francisca if she knows the song and then performs solo with a somewhat conversational, intimate vocal performance, gradually stepping back, away from his microphone and turning his back to the audience while the lights dim. He plays the song out in silhouette, crouching, hunched over his guitar as the song becomes a medley that includes 'Sex Change' before ending with 'Eskimo'.
In reference to the mire of many of his songs, Damien tells us the next song is one of the few songs in which he has been given a ladder or a rope, and the song does indeed exude infectious positivity with Francisca smiling while contributing percussion. 'Coconut Skins' has the potential to seem out of place in the set, but it serves as an island of respite.
Damien tells us: "I don't know what time it is. . . I don't make set lists," before taking a moment to detail the recording process of 'Older Chests' in his introduction to that performance.
It is apparent Damien is making it up as he goes along (and this is not a bad thing) as he invites his Adelaide-based cousin Bryan Dalton onstage from the audience for what we initially assume will be a collaboration then graciously allows Bryan to perform his own song 'Wild And Free' while Damien sits and watches, transfixed as Bryan plays guitar and sings sounding reminiscent of Glen Hansard.
Following this 'break' in the set, Francisca is utilised to her fullest demonstrating that she is a more than fitting musical foil, subbing for Damien's original vocal sparring partner Lisa Hannigan leading off '9 Crimes' and playing cello along with Damien's droning, atmospheric, otherworldly harmonium during 'Astronaut'.
Damien introduces "a new song" before clarifying 'Behind Those Eyes' as "unreleased" and having been performed now for a while. An appropriate rapturous applause follows this as Damien and Francisca leave the stage.
They return to reconvene towards the back of the stage, facing each other side-on to the audience in silhouette, appearing as people-shaped shadows while performing 'Cold Water', the song gradually transforming and coming to an explosive conclusion aided by the dynamic, chaotic strobe lighting.
'I Don't Want To Change You' is the only song played from his 'My Favourite Faded Fantasy' album and breaks up this final sequence of songs (all from his debut 'O').
After 'I Remember', the evening closes with Damien inviting and directing the audience participation during 'The Blower's Daughter', Francisca's vocal bringing to mind Radiohead's 'No Surprises'. It's interesting to note this song, his debut single, bookends the set along with its corresponding B-side, 'The Professor & La Danse Fille' having opened proceedings.
This faultless performance was well worth the wait and was sure to have made a lasting impression on the audience assembled, maybe just long enough for us to hold on to until his next eagerly awaited visit.
