Perfume Genius - Chats Palace, London 04/08/14

06 August 2014, 08:15 | Written by Russell Warfield

(Live)

(Perfume Genius)

Although there was a huge contrast between Perfume Genius’ first two records, the difference was mainly Michael Hadreas testing the waters of edging extra instrumentation into the margins of his music. The style and song writing was much the same; it was the textures which had swelled slightly. But – a month away from the release of his third LP – tonight’s show spotlights upcoming new material, and this isn’t just adding some new instruments. This is something different altogether.

Hadreas’ stage presence has always had an edge of the sinister; lopsidedly stalking the stage with a blend of crippling nervousness and hyper-confidence. Now he has the songs to match his demeanour. The night’s airing of new material was sincerely menacing; moving from near silence to heavily treated vocals; twisting eerie falsetto across wretched distortion, swirling through tangled melodies. It’s brand new territory for Perfume Genius, and an exciting taster for what’s to come on his upcoming LP.

Placed in direct juxtaposition with the show stopping debut cut “Lookout, Lookout”, the new material’s atmosphere completely reconfigures the tone of the old material. It’s still achingly sad, but the opening arpeggios gain an almost impossible sense of uplift, even hopefulness – like a breaking dawn after the raging storm of the new textures. And his command over the older songs is startling. With just the subtlest touches of incidental sound and back-up vocals from his band, the sheer intensity of his material is what’s foregrounded. The dropped rhyme of “he never had a family to begin with” never feels like any less of a kick in the face.

Sometimes they hit a stumbling block when they split the difference between his most stripped back, and their new powerhouse arrangements. As a band, they haven’t actually got much heft between them, and some songs suffer from acting like they have thicker, more expansive textures than they actually do. The band either need to go for broke, or apply the utmost delicacy. There’s no road between for Perfume Genius. Similarly, although Hadreas’ vocal performance is astonishing, he’s not got much range or reach, and so his attempt to climb the vocal stairs in “All Waters” sees him falter.

Thankfully most of tonight’s set sees Perfume Genius playing to their strengths rather than hitting their limitations. Tonight’s new material is not only totally new, but it’s totally successful. And what’s more, it not only sits alongside the earlier material without complaint, but it actually compliments it; reflecting new light and shadows across his discography. As Hadreas bows his way through new single “Queen” towards the close of his set, we’ve every reason to keenly anticipate another LP of Perfume Genius’ unique talent for sticking the knife in while tending to the wounds at the same time.