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Formerly known as the Carlton Dance Hall, Bush Hall provides a refuge from the endless roar of the Uxbridge Road; and its ornate décor, intricate plasterwork and chandeliers are a far cry from the dirty chicken shacks that surround it. Tonight the former haunt of snooker players and late night drinkers opens its doors to Sia; known simply to many as the voice behind several of Zero 7’s hit singles. But with three solo albums to her name and a fourth on the way, there’s much more to the Australian songstress than first meets the eye. Playing to a full house and taking to the stage in day-glo skeletal outfits (liable to induce hallucinogenic flashbacks for anyone to have visited Bestival) things get underway with the mesmerising and bouncy ‘Buttons’. Combining splashes of curious retro instrumentation with a deliciously refreshing vocal it’s a surreal excursion into left of centre pop and sets the theme for the rest of the evening.
Sia isn’t just here to perform, she’s here to have a good time and it’s immediately contagious. A playful vibe successfully established, Sia swaps the carnival outfit in favour of a turquoise print dress and immediately addresses the crowd as if they were long-lost best friends. Constantly punctuating her set with witty anecdotes, cheeky observations and playful jibes, to say that she’s excitable and incredibly funny would be a huge understatement. Smiling her way through every note that she sings, her blatant enjoyment bleeds into each and every song with the likes of ‘Little Black Sandals’, ‘Lentil’ and ‘Sunday’ taking on a distinct life of their own. Her solo work is sumptuous, stunning and spectacularly played out but tonight also sees a welcome collaboration, with Sia being joined on stage by Sophie Barker, co-writer of Zero 7’s huge hit ‘Destiny’. It’s an important partnership not to mention a huge undertaking and this isn’t lost on the crowd.
But there’s nothing to worry about as we’re in safe hands and as soon as the first note leaves her mouth, you can almost feel the hairs standing up on the back of several hundred necks; in short it’s jaw droppingly amazing. With the bar well and truly raised, just how do you follow up something so good? It’s quite simple; you jump higher and higher which is exactly what happens as Sia continues to bombard the crowd with one exquisite song after another. She even finds the time to fetch a bottle of Corona for a thirsty front row punter mid set before launching into ‘Electric Bird’ which gives her an excuse (not that she needs one) to dance around like a woman possessed. Her endless abundance of energy is something else and her passion for her music is never in doubt. The emotionally acoustic ‘You Have Been Loved’, lyrically busy ‘Academia’ and the big and buoyant ‘The Girl You Lost To Cocaine’ are quite simply astounding and have the desired effect, well and truly bowling the crowd over.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end; and as Sia explains that she doesn’t do encores, preferring instead to play a full set without expecting the paying public to beg for more, the night is nearly over. The way things have gone tonight, Sia could bring the show to a close with a nursery rhyme if she wanted to and people would still walk away smiling. But instead it’s another classic from her Zero 7 days and ‘Distractions’ (the perfect platform to showcase her dazzling vocal range) wraps up an evening that is as close to perfection as you could possibly hope for, surpassing all expectations and setting an impossibly high benchmark for any act to set foot on the Bush Hall stage.
