GL
Chevron Festival Gardens
Saturday, February 21, 2015
A breeze blew through the Chevron Festival Gardens, bringing with it the masterful tunes of Australian artist Chet Faker.
GL opened the night with their ’80s inspired retro pop, the duo playing an enthusiastic set as the crowd slowly filtered in. After their final song, Grip, the musicians left the stage and the lights lit up the concert space as the stage crew began to set up for Faker’s set.
Finally the lights dimmed, the cheers of the crowd signalling the singer’s entrance to the stage. Starting off with Cigarettes And Chocolate, Chet Faker was lit by bright flashing lights, taking to the turn tables in the centre of the stage.
His support band illuminated by white backlights and dry ice, Faker then moved between a keyboard and the decks, reminding the audience of his diverse musical skills.
‘For our benefit, let’s get a bit of vibe around’, Faker said, before taking to the microphone to sing Melt, everyone joining in to sing ‘oh, oh, ohhhoverdose’.
As he sung he moved with such swagger, doing a hipster-esque, stationary moon walk. Release Your Problems got a whole lot of screeches, followed by a song ‘for all the lovers in the house- single or taken’, Love And Feeling.
A tune by Van Morrison made an appearance, Faker’s deep and sensual spin a crowd pleaser, helped by a heavy bass.
At one point a quiet ‘You keep crawling, you keep crawling’ was almost swallowed by the Festival Gardens, but Faker’s vocals soon got progressively louder, and the crowd began to clap along to form a beat.
Showing off his fan base, Faker asked the crowd how many people owned his latest album and EP, with most people putting their hands up. Showing his humble side, he mentioned not being signed to any label, with his success thanks to his loyal fans, then asked everyone to see if they could do away with technology for one song, Yo Digity, and no phone screens were seen the entire time.
We Used To Be Friends had everyone bopping up and down, as glowing yellow lights and flashing beams streamed out to the sky. Faker then made a stage exit, leaving fans cheering and stamping there feet in a bid for an encore.
It wasn’t long before he made it back, however, entering to a smoky red stage and an eerie instrumental.
Picking up an electric guitar, Faker plucked away, playing a soulful rift. Soon the drums kicked in, and he sang, ‘I will never shake this feeling away’. An electric guitar duet between Faker and his support guitarist had the audience mesmerised, loud whistling followed.
Faker sat by his keyboard for his last song, lit only by a large circular light. He played a long interlude before launching into Talk Is Cheap, while the whole outdoor venue sang like a chorus line in the background.
Once the singer had finished, everyone left sitting rose for a standing ovation, a very thankful Faker leaving the stage once more.
PENNY LANE
