Live Review: PVT - Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre

The projections on some of Sydney's most prominent buildings literally stopped traffic with the breathtaking spectacle of Vivid Live on its opening night, littered as it was with far too many beautiful moments to stop and take them all in, culminating with the grandest building of all ablaze with an amazing light installation. Inside, the Sydney Opera House was literally buzzing with people there to see the different shows on offer for opening night. It was surprising then to arrive for the PVT show in the Opera Theatre to find it half full as the band began their set.

PVT have taken their live performance in a very different direction than even their game-changing album, Church With No Magic, would suggest. The experimental soundscapes and fluttering synth warbles that complimented the subtle vocals on the 2010 album have all but completely disappeared. It's obvious that somewhere along the line in the past two years, PVT have decided they want to be a pop band. Decked out in a muscle shirt and dramatically 'frontmanning' the band like an '80s pop star, Richard Pike has clearly wholeheartedly embraced the idea of being a lead singer, rendering even familiar songs with a fresh layer of cheese. A few new tracks were delivered, including one with the chorus 'I am electric', which was comparable to The Mighty Boosh pisstake 'I am electro boy', except delivered with a staunch earnestness.

Laurence Pike on the drums owned the show, perfectly complimenting the electronic beats with minimal, mathematical playing – he's the sole reason to be impressed with PVT in a live scenario. With so much of the music pre-programmed, it was bizarre to watch beatmaker Dave Miller basically do nothing on stage. He played tambourine for a whole song, hit a superfluous electronic snare for another and messed with some filters now and then, but his presence was basically just window-dressing. As were the three piece ring-in horn section, who could barely be heard despite the Opera Theatre's amazing acoustics. For a band with so much promise on record, PVT are retreating from the experimental ideas that separated them from your average electro band, which unfortunately they seem to have become.