Live Review: Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra, Die Roten Punkte

Proceedings start early so we miss out on most of Aussie duo's Die Roten Punkte set. A comedy act of sorts, they get their faux Berliner on and bring down the house with the electro bump of Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter (I Am A Lion). Palmer, wearing a tee with a slogan that tells the Prime Minister where to go, has a lot of fun just dancing on stage.

After a short break, Palmer introduces body poet Sabrina D'Angelo. Part clown, part mime, she works with a plastic supermarket bag and imaginatively turns it into a phallus of sorts before some sticky goo ends up on her face and a weird pair of underpants. A largely silent audience gasps with amusement as she finally turns into some kind of hopping ninja and bounces off the stage. As soon as D'Angelo's done, Amanda Palmer returns with The Grand Theft Orchestra's bass player Jherek Bischoff who whips up wild, out-of-control loops on his bass guitar to create one nasty, rocking groove with plenty of thump. Playing only two songs, Bischoff leaves many wishing he had played for longer.

After the outlandish Brendan Maclean performs two songs (his own song Stupid and then Katy Perry's Firework), it's time for the main event. Meow Meow, looking like an extra from Cabaret, introduces Palmer & The GTO. The show gets off to a fiery start with Do It With A Rock Star. The GTO are not so much an orchestra as a fiercely rocking band that features The Swans' Thor on drums. Palmer energises fans when she dives into the audience sending security and fans scurrying in her wake. Resplendent in a lacy bra and corset, Palmer is in fine form. Throughout the evening fans randomly throw presents, flowers and bras on stage. 

There is a lot of banter in between songs and at one point Palmer talks about guilty pleasures, suggesting that we should not feel guilty about the things that please us. Palmer's guilty pleasures tonight are the covers she slips into the set. A pretty wild version of Smells Like Teen Spirit keeps us jumping, but Common People and Sweet Dreams (dropped later in the show) feel like filler. They cover Noah Britton's I Love You So Much with a sincerity that is affecting. Disappointingly, the melancholy sadness of Bat For Lashes' Laura is replaced with torch song schmaltz and a touch of cheese. Meow Meow, fresh from guesting on the new Pink Martini album, duets with Palmer on the old Dresden Dolls tune Missed Me.

Palmer's last album Theatre Is Evil was recorded in Melbourne and she also will move here early next year to write a book. Appearing keen to make friends with locals, Palmer introduces Kate Miller-Heidke, who goes it solo on the piano to give us the very droll Are You Fucking Kidding Me? Later, Missy Higgins drops in with an unfinished song tentatively called 'I Can't Find You'. As the pace of the show slackens, Palmer accompanies herself on ukulele or piano and showcases the best of what she has to offer. She crowd-surfs in a dress with a very long train during Bottomfeeder. Citing Paul Kelly as an influence, Palmer traces a path From St Kilda To Fitzroy, which is her ode to all things Melbourne. Leeds United brings down the night and has everyone smiling, dancing and feeling pretty fine.