Live Review: Neil Finn, Joshua James

It's a bit of an understatement to say Neil Finn's career hasn't followed a predictable trajectory. It was hard to pin down what this, his Dizzy Heights tour stop in Perth, would be, but it would no doubt be memorable.

Salt Lake City native Joshua James opened up the night, building a set out of acoustic and electric guitar, vocals and two kick pedals. James' music was soulful, passionate and effective as an opener for Finn. Softly spoken and genial, James thanked Finn, and the people that came out to see him, for allowing him to bring his moving folk music to Australia.

Without much fanfare, Neil Finn and his band took their places after the break and immediately launched into Impressions, the opening track to the Dizzy Heights album, and a song completely different to anything else Finn has ever done. The soulful groove of the track laid a heady foundation for singer Lisa Tomlins, who did a more than able effort of belting out the female lines, Neil's wife Sharron on bass and backing vocal duties, and an unmistakably young band filling out the rest. Finn was happy to fly through the “six or seven entities” of his career, culminating in some truly spectacular renditions of Distant Sun, Fall At Your Feet and She Will Have Her Way among his other hits, all of which had people cheering and dancing at the front of the stage. But it was his slightly less famous, and newer, sounds that were of the most interest. Dizzy Heights sees Finn embarking on a tour from '70s funk to new wave, and the span of the album lent a feverish eclecticism and diversity to his set. Into The Sunset and Try Whistling This worked as mid-set changeovers once again creating an emotional swing. Of course, there were two encores, solo renditions of Love This Life and a torch-songish singalong of Don't Dream It's Over capping off the night to a standing ovation. It was wacky at points (Finn's between-song banter is something to behold) and hugely entertaining, and Neil Finn left leaving no doubt as to why he's one of the most celebrated performers in the world.