After literally months of waiting, Gordi was finally able to make the trip to Brisbane and take the stage in support of her album Our Two Skins.
We have all been starved for live music, so, it would have been fine for Gordi to just jump on stage and showcase her latest album. But no, even on her second show of the evening, Gordi would accept nothing less than epic.
The opener was an almost unrecognizable version of ‘Airplane Bathroom’, as it played out more like a cinematic orchestral arrangement than the melancholic low-key song that appears on the album. The percussion slowly built throughout the song, like you were watching a storm roll in across the horizon, as the slow rumblings turned into a roaring, bombastic finale.
As the last of the cymbals stopped ringing, Gordi transitioned into a more traditional performance of ‘Volcanic’, though with a more energetic rendition of the piano outro that features on the album.
Half-way through the show, Gordi introduced Alex Lahey as a special guest performer, so they could premiere an upcoming song they had collaborated on. ‘Dino’s’ was written by the pair when they met in Nashville a couple of years ago, and is based on the time they spent in a dive bar, the titular Dino’s.
The song is told from the perspective of a number of different characters, supposedly based on people the pair saw wander into the bar during their time there.
Keep an eye out for an upcoming film clip for the single, featuring both Gordi and Alex playing multiple personas, and apparently, a fair amount of cross-dressing.
Our Two Skins is largely a somber listen, but Gordi knew to try and fool the crowd into a happy ending by closing her regular set with ‘Unready’. Its pop-indie sound may appear to be a bright spark in contrast to the rest of the album, but even an energized live performance can’t hide the pain dripping through those lyrics.
A double encore followed, featuring a chilling performance of ‘Radiator’, and then the complete thematic opposite, with Gordi ending the show with her Like A Version of ‘Wrecking Ball’.
Even after a year of the unexpected, it was still shocking to find myself witnessing a Gordi performance end on a Miley Cyrus track. But, as Gordi put it, you can’t go past doing a cover of the “Queen herself”.
Gordi continues her Our Two Skins tour over the next month across a number of Australian cities. Be sure to head along if you want to experience a live performance that elevates an already accomplished album.
