“Some say their boyfriends cheated on them,” he said, pointing to the crowd. “So let’s channel it.” The next song, other people’s problemsand his collaboration with British musician SG Lewis, flame – Interrupted by puffs of smoke – boosts energy, if the show is a little late.
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From twisting dance moves to keyboards and strumming strings, Ruel proves he’s a versatile musician.Before delivering one of his best vocal performances in a collaboration with JVKE, he hung a crochet throw from the crowd over his keyboard in another enthusiastic gesture to his audience prime time.
Ruel isn’t just a heartthrob – his music captures the complexities of growing up, too.his song you against yourself – the first single from fourth wall – has become an anthem for the younger generation, with his fans echoing the lyrics back to him.
However, the most memorable part of Ruel’s performance was his performance of the hit single painkillerduring which he launched several giant yellow inflatable balls into the crowd, where they playfully pinned and bounced.
Ruel says he rarely gets nervous before a show – except, he admits, when he plays in Sydney, his loved ones are there. No wonder we see him take pains to connect with the ICC audience.
Reviewed by Millie Muroi
music
Denzel Curry ½
Holden Pavilion, April 27
Think back to early 2020, when Donald Trump was president, ‘Pandemic’ was just a movie and Denzel Curry’s cover of ‘Rage Against the Machine’ bulls in parade is the favorite to win triple j’s Hottest 100.
American rapper Denzel Curry put on an energetic and riveting show in Sydney.Credit: Jordan Mance
The result did not (the coverperforming for a radio station like a version, ended up at No. 5), but his punchy, politically charged remake of the 1996 hit has viewers here standing up and taking notice—if they haven’t already. A strong turnout at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Thursday night showed the Florida-born rapper’s fame has crossed the Pacific.
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bulls in parade is no longer on his repertoire (he told Triple J in 2019 that it was putting too much strain on his voice), but the 28-year-old is enjoying a steady stream of new music and regular gigs. And the Australian holiday calendar is getting stronger and stronger.
He was in Sydney for an outdoor day one last time on New Year’s Day before returning to tour Australia with Groovin the Moo.
But on Thursday night, Curry declared, it was “mother… melt my eyes see your future show” – the album he came here to tour.
curry opening Melting Session #1 and step intoThe album’s buttery opening track — neither of which would sound out of place on a millennial’s after-dinner playlist.
In an industry that has no shortage of hubris, Curry is talking about a big game.last year he told XXL Magazine: “I’m the best rapper ever. Hit the blank, full stop.”
East coast icons Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan may have something to say about that when they visit in two weeks. Even so, Curry’s talent is undeniable — and his charisma is effortless.
He got a fan on stage to rap halfway through influence cobain And, when the crowd started to drift and throw clothes and vapes onto the stage, he used a schoolteacher’s tactic to gently pull them back in line: “I’m going to play something new, but you all have to agree not to throw things right I.”
While Curry may not have made him the darling of youth radio and Australian music festivals like he once did, he’s still always full of energy and charisma. That’s the bare minimum to expect from a rapper who boldly claims to be the greatest rapper of all time.
Angus Thomson review
music
Ferruccio Furlanetto concert★★★★
City Auditorium, April 27
It’s a sound of velvety darkness and mahogany depth with rich tannins and a smoldering core that can surge with ferocious force or settle into a breathless whisper. Of course death would be him.
Italian opera singer Ferruccio Furlanetto opens recital with Brahms’ last work Four Serious Songs, Op. 121which draws on Lutheran texts to explore the idea that while death is grim, it does depend on how much you enjoy the alternative.
The famous Italian opera singer gave a wonderful performance at the Sydney City Recital Hall.Credit: Igor Sakharov
Pianist Natalia Sidorenko announced the theme like a bell, and as soon as Franetto opened her mouth, her voice became stern and ominous. In the third song, Oh death, how you sufferon the last note of the first sentence, the tone is full of human warmth, and the last song ends in the warmth of sleep.
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Second set, Mussorgsky’s death song, are different shades of gray. Here, death is a vicious seducer, offering sleep and false comfort. Furlanetto’s voice is insidiously theatrical, and individual lines are ironic, with sparkle and the occasional operatic edge.
In the final brackets before the interval, Rachmaninoff’s set of three songs from works 4 and Works 14, the Furlanetto opens up, shaping the curve of the melodic line with a sculpted finish, allowing the peaks to surge to moments of colored sweetness. Sidorenko articulates these demanding piano parts with deft command and careful articulation, giving the voice a full-bodied tone without being overpowering, so that Furlanetto has a solid base to go beyond.
The repertoire after the intermission was all taken from the opera, and Franetto stepped into the pseudo-opera with relish, having a great time with the audience.
in sarastro’s aria in this hallowed hall from mozart magic flutethe rhythm is measured and pulled out, challenging Furlanetto’s strength to maintain the shape of the lines to the maximum.
The next two Mozart arias, you won’t go again from The Marriage of Figaroand Leporello’s catalog aria from Don JuanMatching the T-shirt Furlanetto’s ability to shape phrases musically, but with maximum theatrical character.
Then it’s back to the good old days of death, with Mussorgsky’s farewell scene Boris Godunovand Massenet’s Don Quixote. Furlanetto evaporates into ether in the first and, in the second, unleashes a startling rage at the extinction of the light.
last number, she never loved me Don Carlos, from Verdi, is the most masterful, showcasing Furlanetto’s ability to bring the lines to perfection, rising to punchy intensity at the climax and fading into melancholic echoes as the song fades away.
Reviewed by Peter McCallum
