Live Review: Cat Power

Considering the incredibly patchy live form for which Cat Power is known, it was a bold move scheduling her for not one but two shows as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Still, there was reason to be cautiously optimistic; the demons that had plagued her so vehemently in years past were, evidently, quelled, and she was touring on the back of last year's excellent Sun, an electro-pop record that had some outstanding moments.

The start was unassuming as band members filed out one by one to the repetitive guitar notes of Adeline Fargier. That simple introduction gently developed into a fantastic interpretation of The Greatest, one of the few songs played that didn't feature on Sun. It was a powerful, promising start, and evidenced a live show that had much meatier production than those previously. From there, however, it unravelled. There were no dramatic, abrupt culminations to songs or on-stage histrionics, but on the whole it was a messy, unpolished performance. For the most part, Chan Marshall's voice got buried beneath playing that was too robust and much of the set was dogged by sound issues. When she was given room to move, though, things perked up considerably. The marvellous Bully, for instance, was a reminder of just what she is capable of, that unique, nuanced voice still with all the balance and beauty to knock the stuffing right out of you. But those moments were rare and outside of them Marshall looked desperately uncomfortable on stage, seemingly reluctant to play the role of lead singer and mumbling incoherently between tracks. In her earlier performances, she sought respite by clinging to her guitar, putting her head down and singing for her life; tonight, she played the instrument just once and the rest of the time wandered about the stage fidgeting anxiously.

The catharsis that came with her declaration that it had been 'a terrible performance' resulted in strong renditions of Peace And Love and Ruin, but they couldn't erase the shoddiness that preceded them. It'd be great to see Marshall get back to where it all began, a stripped back live show that thrusts her vocals and songwriting to the fore and dispenses with the need for her to coordinate a band and engage a crowd. At the moment, quite simply, she is assuming a role she cannot play.