MUSIC REVIEW: GOTYE – LIVE AT THE SATELLITE
Gotye Is Australian for "Amazing" (Okay, It’s Not, But It Should Be)
(October 18, 2011 in Los Angeles, California) Belgian-born Aussie Wally De Backer had barely walked onto the stage at Gotye’s first-ever US concert before he was hearing shouts of "We love you!" from a way sold-out crowd at The Satellite in Silver Lake on Tuesday. “Wow, it’s packed!” he grinned broadly before kicking the show off at the synthesizer with “The Only Way” from his 2006 (unreleased in the US) album, Like Drawing Blood. Wally and his three onstage compadres had the crowd clapping within seconds and in the palm of their hand in the space of a single song.
Boasting an unusual musical setup featuring dual drumkits, dual keyboards, samplers, and (sometimes) live bass, Gotye (pronounced Gautier) mesmerized while blending electronic elements, acoustic instruments, an all-singing band, and hypnotic, creative, syncopated animations projected onto a large backdrop in the small and swiftly sweaty club. Serving as the focal point for all that was going on, Wally jumped between vocals, synths, and his drumset up at the front and center of the entire performance.
As Gotye’s new album, Making Mirrors, entered the audience’s ears via "Easy Way Out," and we were told about an organ Wally’s parents gave him in "State of the Art," vocal effects were toyed with, samplers were banged with mallets, and keyboards dueled from one side of the stage to another. As a mark of how well things were going, the crowd was then advised to "close your eyes and do your own phasing effects" by putting their fingers in and out of their ears during the shadowy "Don’t Worry We’ll Be Watching You" -- a song pulling together a musical lineage stretching from The Police to Radiohead via Elbow.
Mr. De Backer proved to be a charming, charismatic, and talented host, playing seamlessly with bright, tight musicians, and easily switching between mic to synths to drums. The interaction between the players on stage was fun to watch and infectious to behold, and by the time “Smoke and Mirrors” showcased drummer Mark Iverson’s chops, massive cheers were being thrown out in response to requests like, “I need you all to go 'aaaaahhhhhh' so I feel like I’m a Burning Man!”
Then, in response to a shout of “I love you soooo much” from a girl from the crowd came the wry answer, “Then you better watch out if this next song is anything to go by!” And almost before anyone knew what hit them, the distinctive beat of Gotye’s global hit, “Somebody That I Used To Know,” was unleashed. As the track has been in heavy rotation here in LA on KCRW (and has over 11 million views on YouTube worldwide), the crowd went wild and then wilder still when New Zealand’s Kimbra popped out from behind a curtain to perform in person her delicious part of a duet that everyone had come to hear. Yes, there were problems with her mic, but the delighted audience helped her out by accompanying her on her parts spiritedly and at the top of their lungs.
Even as the chants of “More!” and even “Do it again!!” echoed around the room, Kimbra snuck off silently and Wally asked, “Can we do a song that’s really quiet?” -- radically squashing an epic concert high before quickly regaining control via Making Mirrors’ closing track, “Bronte.” It was a powerful demonstration of crowd control, and a fitting end to an amazing set.
Except that it wasn’t the end: the crowd was too focused and intent on hearing more. After a genuine, heartfelt, hand-clapping, foot-stomping call for an encore, back out came Gotye, and Wally laughed, “You’re still here!!” as they launched into “Better Than Before,” with another request, “As we don’t have live horns, you’ll have to get your best Welsh choir voice going.” Again, he was obliged (Mental Note: Must see Gotye again with the full 10-piece band). In return, when the electronics refused to cooperate for one final track, Wally and the band finished with an a cappella flourish...and then set about breaking down their own gear to head to NYC for a handful of CMJ Marathon shows to complete this initial US mini-tour.
As we headed for the exits (and Wally seemingly thanked everyone in the place individually as they filed past), what became abundantly clear is that this is just the first of many Aussie invasions from this wonderful, new (to us) artist. Now we too can begin to understand how Gotye just received seven nominations at this year’s ARIA awards (the Australian Grammys). Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you Gotye: a shining new musical juggernaut from Melbourne that no man and no machine can ever hope to stop. Go with the Gotye flow – you’ll be happy that you did.
Standout Tracks: “Somebody That I Used To Know,” “The Only Way,” “State of the Art”
For Fans Of: Beck, Radiohead, Elbow, The Police
Text by Bonnie Burkert and Stefan Goldby
Photos by Brian C. Janes
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