Lorde at the Hordern Pavillion - 11/7/14 - Live Review

The pleasures of Lorde stem from the notion that her sylvan, velvety voice rests simply upon a bed of minimalist electronica. What ensues: a gracious telltale, embellished here and there with a siren, a snare. In the core, there is some kind of beautiful teenage euphoria. How high are the expectations held for the live performance of the Grammy-award winning seventeen-year old from New Zealand? Lorde appears on stage. She is striking. Her infamous silhouette flits rhythmically; ‘Glory and Gore’ invites stupor as her timbre decorates perfectly the sultry and magnetic strain. And what an atmosphere descends on us: Ella moves effortlessly through her set, white candles glow around her; an ornate chandelier above is not quite lit. A feasible energy of devotion almost could be seen emulating from the audience amongst the purple and white haze as vocals vaulted from Lorde’s lungs. Thrilling yet poignant, her voice appeals to the sensibilities of teenhood so reflected in her lyricisms.“We move in the tree streets / I’d like it if you stay” – ‘400 Lux’ saw Lorde oscillate in front of a triptych screen of suburbia, scenes of cul-de-sacs and bicycles illuminated imagery of youth; its jejune springtime and its nostalgic ache. What better place for this to manifest than in ‘Team’ – the penultimate song in the set. Its low-pitched-alarm-loop: “Send the call out / Send the call out” atop rhapsodic synth fifths dissolved completely into a combustion of strobe lights as Ella exited the stage only to return for a final and triumphant chorus. In a robe of golden fabric, she was her own queen as confetti (emblazoned with her regal profile) reigned down on the five-thousand strong crowd; “And you know / We’re on each other’s team.” Happiness and beauty – these simple yet suiting words encompass the quality and genuinity of Lorde’s presence. The victorious nature of her performance exactly reminds us each of that one party, that one person, that one feeling, that one night, this one concert that exists in our minds. We can feel ourselves growing up. How surely Lorde comprehends her own life, is not for us to judge; though how easily she comprehends us – grasps us in her manner, in her performance and her spirit… it is inspiring to see popular music falling into such modern and entirely able hands. Live Review by Jessica Syed Image courtesy of Zimbio.com

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