Live Review: James Blake w/ Mark Pritchard @ Hordern Pavilion

James Blake’s much anticipated Splendour side-show at Sydney’s Hordern pavilion was a masterclass in music. There were no gimmicks, no pyrotechnics, in fact nothing to detract from the music. This was an artist confident in his ability and that was all he needed to showcase.

Blake’s voice helped him to transcend beyond typical electronic acts, merging his electronic-heavy songs with his slower ballads. It was a merger that at times was not seamless but was still fulfilling to the large Sydney audience.

Supporting Blake was electronic DJ Mark Pritchard, whose set took us on a journey. Pritchard started the night off slowly with Celtic/Riverdance type songs whilst the audience filled into the venue. The set was long for a support act, clocking in at just over an hour, but in that time Pritchard was able to build from his eerie calm songs to the more trance post-dubstep sound. By the time he was done he had successfully managed to hype up the audience for Blake.

The first impression of Blake was just how calm and collected he was. He wasted no time casually walking on stage without fanfare to launch into his first song Life Round Here. In fact, for the rest of the night that was Blake’s approach to performance. He stayed behind his keyboard and just belted out his music. Blake did little to try to connect with the audience between songs, save the typical introductions and occasional humble words. His energy occasionally felt drained and did sap the attention of some of the audience members.

The kaleidoscope of lights behind him had to do the legwork to create a spectacle and they did a great job. Nothing can beat a live singer enthusiastically performing with high energy, but that was not the show that Blake was bringing this night.

What he bought instead was an incredible, layered sound. The acoustics in the venue were perfect, allowing every note and sound to eclipse the audience but never overwhelm us. From the lyrical Radio Silence to the heavier 200 Press there was never a moment that the beat was not pulsating throughout the pavilion. Voyeur was probably the best example of a heavier bass song that was able to take us to the club night that many of the fans at the front of the audience wanted.

There is no denying Blake is a talented musician. His performance was a polished perfected masterpiece. Everything moved together, the lights were hypnotising and moved to the flow of the music, and for a live performance even the lyrics were crisp and clear. Many singers often lose their lyrics in a live show but Blake’s voice was able to cut through the sound to allow us to hear the emotional turmoil that is clear in his newer songs.

This lyrical ability was best displayed in The Colour in Anything. The song was stripped right back and directly connected with the audience. For me, it was a highlight of the night. One of his more commercially successful songs Retrograde was up next just before the encore. Thankfully the strength of the venue’s acoustics meant that we did not have to endure the drunken chorus of some audience members.

Blake ended by telling us how long it had taken them to do this show completely live. It was a timely reminder to the audience about just how much work goes into these shows. Blake was tremendously humble the entire show and his thanks to his musicians and Pritchard was telling of the type of guy he is. His final song The Wilhelm Scream was a great finisher. It was a strong powerful song to close on and brought together all the elements that make Blake so memorable.

Check our full Photo Gallery of Blake’s Melbourne side-show HERE and our SITG2016 (feat. Blake) HERE