What a good feeling it is walking into the Tivoli, knowing that for now, it is safe from the developer wrecking ball. The cherry on top of that feeling is knowing also, that Sarah Blasko is playing a show tonight. And it is a Friday…

Supporting Sarah Blasko this evening are two acts Lupa J and Jack Colwell. Colwell, the main support, is a man not short on confidence. He ends his first song with two triumphant fists in the air, not unlike Michael Hutchence. This curious charisma continues through the set. It’s an atmospheric rock performance from him and band, loaded with balladry, flowering with the songs ‘Seek The Wilde’ and Divinyls cover ‘I Touch Myself’.

The punters are here to see the return of Sarah Blasko though, and when the countdown to the first song ‘I Am Ready’ begins, there is a genuine feeling of excitement in the room. ‘I Am Ready’ is, as well, the first song on latest album Eternal Return, and a fantastic opener – minimal but huge, a statement of intent. The first five songs of the set are all in fact from Eternal Return – ‘Better With You’, ‘I’d Be Lost’, ‘Maybe This Time’ and ‘Beyond’. Sarah has gone for an Eighties electronic flavoured sound on this particular record, and the band she has in tow for this tour are quite a crack team. It’s hard not to shift one’s gaze away from the rhythm section of Laurence Pike on drums and Donny Benét on bass. Their musicianship provides a great platform for everyone else to work from. Pike (who also plays in the band PVT) is simply, a brilliant and adept drummer. Long time Sarah Blasko musician David Hunt is also back. Interestingly, he plays one of the Dave Smith Prophets (keyboard synths), that in combination with mellotron sounding keys give a distinct Eighties vibe throughout. It’s almost impossible though, to walk out of this performance and not remark on the exceptional vocals of Sarah Blasko. Already evident at the start, it becomes clearer with songs from the back catalogue such as ‘All I Want’, ‘We Won’t Run’ and ‘No Turning Back’. To emphasise it acoustically, she and the band perform a stripped back ‘Here’. Her voice transforms songs. Speaking of older material, it’s a nice surprise to hear ‘Always Worth It’ from debut album The Overture & The Underscore, taking us back to 2004. Banter throughout is minimal and appreciative of the audience, so much so she remarks that she’s moved to Brisbane. She is subsequently, however, unable to confidently name which suburb she now resides in, much to the amusement of many. The set culminates with ‘Only One’, ‘Say What You Want’ and ‘Without’, which coincidentally are the closing tracks on Eternal Return. There wasn’t a general feeling things were going to end here though, and the audience oblige with a ceremonial call for more. Sarah and band oblige and return with the triple punch of ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Luxurious’ and ‘I Awake’. It’s always great to hear a song like ‘I Wanna be Your Man’, arguably one of the best songs on the latest record with a kind of Kate Bush feel going on. It’s top stuff. The overall performance is nothing short of that too. 

Sarah Blasko has never stopped experimenting with different approaches and textures and it continues to serve her well. Bearing witness to it is also great. As people file out of the venue, they could just as easily be filing back in for more in a decade’s time, with a whole new palette of material to experience. It’s possibly felt this way for many since ‘The Overture & The Underscore’, and the love shows no sign of abating.

- Ian Powne