An earlier attendance to a Candlelight event this year – to see US writer/singer (and one-name wonder) Mitski, prompted a return visit, this time to see Britpop sensation Blur and virtual spin-off band Gorillaz being reinterpreted sans lyrics through a quartet of strings plus drums (for added rock ‘n’ roll grunt).
Surrounded on the small Athenaeum stage by flickering battery-lit candles grouped en masse and atop candelabras that still exuded a hypnotic pull despite their lack of warmth, the classically-trained musicians put on a rousing performance that delighted the sold-out crowd.
There’s a certain cognitive dissonance when you hear the tunes you know so well – have maybe even sung along to at parties – being reconstituted by two cellos, a viola, a violin and, in a concession to the chart-topping bands, the clash-thumping of drums.
Do you even know Blur’s ‘Song 2’ if you’ve never heard the ecstatic ‘woo-hoo’ at the start of it replaced by the squeal of a violin?
In a set that lasted a speedy hour, two of the cellists (part of the Eclective Strings quartet) took turns giving brief introductions to the background of the songs across multiple albums, which comprised Blur’s ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Tender’ and ‘Coffee & TV’ and Gorillaz’s ‘Feel Good Inc’, ‘Clint Eastwood’ and ‘Some Kind of Nature’ in a “best of” run through of both bands’ most popular and catchy hits.
There are two contradictory levels of entertainment you can have when experiencing one of these Candlelight concerts: without the distracting lyrics the audience can better discern the underlying musicality; and at the same time, knowing what the original iterations sound like makes for a heightened appreciation of the experimentation of the new arrangement.
Candlelight: A Tribute to Gorillaz and Blur offered a stellar night performance: with musicians at the top of the game paying homage to bands that have proven international success.
It’s a winning combination. In the earlier Mitski tribute, the audience was shy, but by the end of this one, fans were a little more lit and sang, clapped and thumped feet along to the songs.
These events can encourage those wary of the pomp and gravitas of traditional full-suite orchestral concerts to try out a lighter, more playful version – all the better when there are songs that you recognise intimately being transformed into startlingly different instrumental variations.
Read: Musical review: Six, Comedy Theatre
Unfortunately, this Gorillaz/Blur homage was for one night only but, fear not, for those who missed out, there are upcoming Candlelight events at different Melbourne venues that include tributes to artists as various as Coldplay, ABBA, Queen, Beyoncé, 70s Disco Hits, Best of 80s and 90s Unplugged.
Candlelight: A Tribute to Gorillaz and Blur was performed at the Athenaeum Theatre on 10 August 2024. For future Candlelight concerts.
