Music
Review
Vera Blue closes her tour in style at Forum Melbourne
The stunning vocalist left quite an impression on gig goers last weekend.
Vera Blue’s national headline tour comes to a close tonight at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne. It feels pretty special walking over the original 1929 mosaic and up to the widened grand main hall. Inside, tonight’s concert goers are already dancing to the samples of support act Alice Ivy. The 23-year-old Melbourne artist has toured extensively and looks completely at ease on stage while she jumps around with the audience in tow to her catchy closing song Get Me a Drink.
Vera Blue (aka Celia Pavey) makes her entrance to an explosive applause as giant walls of lights silhouette the singer. A three-piece band is positioned above Pavey, allowing her to utilise the full extent of the Forum’s grand stage. She dives straight into showing the incredible range of her voice and style with opening song Magazine, which combines her angelic voice with pulsing electronic music, offering a preview of what to expect from the rest of the night. With this being the final show of her national tour, Pavey promises to give us “everything she’s got”.
While most of tonight’s songs are lifted from Vera Blue’s upbeat debut album Perenial, she also revisits some softer tracks from her previous EP Fingertips. She throws her flowing red hair around the stage and sings effortless vocal runs during Settle, while love song, Hold, shows the gentle side of Pavey as she fills the theatre with the sound of soft guitar strums, successfully captivating the entire room as a result.
Tonight’s gig feels very intimate while still holding the excitement of a larger stadium show, thanks in part to the theatre itself. Surrounded by the statues and regal décor of the Forum Theatre, it is hard to imagine a venue that could be better suited to Vera Blue’s compelling voice.
Pavey finishes the night with crowd-favourite Lady Powers and is joined onstage by the women who have supported her on her tour. Roses are thrown into the crowd as they dance to the heavy electronics of the song. It is a sweet moment that epitomises both the delicateness and high energy of Vera Blue’s last tour date at the Forum Theatre.
Words: Beau Kimber
