Live Review: Kylie Minogue, Giorgio Moroder, Betty Who

Sydney-born, New York-based singer-songwriter Betty Who took to the stage in energetic fashion, bounding up and down through her pumping, synth-pop beats.

It was a short set but she revelled in the recognition of Somebody Loves You, which clearly demonstrated both her confidence and her voice could easily fill a big venue.

Credited with pioneering disco music, Giorgio Moroder is something of a legend and so it was quite a coup to have him playing support. His DJ set was heavily laced with the classic Donna Summer tracks he produced years ago yet surprisingly he struggled to get much movement from the crowd. 

The Princess Of Pop may be more a matriarch these days but, as Kylie Minogue arrived on stage draped across a giant pair of red lips, she immediately showed she still knows how to deliver just the right amount of kitsch.

It wasn’t, though, as much of an overtly lavish Mardi Gras-like production as she’s done in the past. Sure there were dancers, the glamorous and quirky costume changes and laser lighting effects, but this was more of a celebration of Kylie’s recording career over the years. A medley of bubblegum pop saw old songs like Hand On Your Heart and I Should Be So Lucky delivered pretty much as they originally were rather than being reworked. The industrial beats of Your Disco Needs You provided the powerful vocal finale that would have surely brought Eurovision home for Australia.

A sultry vocal over the familiar riff of her interpretation of INXS’ Need You Tonight added something new. Kylie broke up the heavily choreographed nature of the show, chatting with ease to the audience and Giorgio Moroder (who came on stage for Right Here, Right Now) allowed much mutual admiration. It was well deserved too, as, on the strength of this, Kylie has certainly still got it.