Live Review: Owen Pallett, Japanese Wallpaper

Playing to almost no one, Gab Strum rather shyly graces the stage to play the tunes he released last year as Japanese Wallpaper. 

He’s not quite 18 years old, but has very quickly attracted a sizeable fanbase thanks in part to the fact that triple j always seem to be playing his tunes. Japanese Wallpaper’s music surfs the current wave of artists who deal in soft, intimate electronic-pop that brings together R&B influences with ambient electronica. Looking a little like a one-man band, Japanese Wallpaper plays keys, tweaks his sampler and uses drumsticks to trigger percussive sounds. Warm gushes of twinkling synths accompany his warbling falsetto. At times the vibe is so soft and smooth that the core of these songs feels a little like wobbly jelly or marshmallow.

Owen Pallett admits that he hooked up with Japanese Wallpaper for this tour over (the seemingly all-embracing) Facebook after acknowledging a mutual respect for each other’s work. Pallett does sound a little jealous when he mentions that Japanese Wallpaper recently landed a spot on the soundtrack of the new Zach Braff movie, however. While Japanese Wallpaper produces music that feels sweetly fluffy, there is a whole lot of weight and drama to Owen Pallett’s quite astonishing electro-acoustic set.

Going it solo, Pallet is a force to be reckoned with as he rather brutally bows, plucks, strums and generally fiddles with the strings of his violin to produce an amazing array of sounds that are fluidly looped and layered. While it’s easy to imagine Pallett playing his contemporary compositions with the assistance of a small string ensemble, he somehow quite amazingly manages to play it all himself. Pallett creates a luscious accompaniment for his tremulous tenor that darts across the mix like a sparrow in flight. Pallett’s confident swagger suggests that he knows he is that good. His fans just fall away in total awe.

Showcasing songs from his latest album In Conflict it becomes apparent that these are swathed in lyrics that speak of deep internal drama and hard-hitting emotions with a certain volatility. The tense foreboding atmospheres of The Riverbed and The Passions are simply spine-tingling.

Pallett’s set is interrupted by a hilariously chatty Q&A with the audience in which he rather proudly reveals that he has just finished soundtracking Anton Corbijn’s new film starring Robert Pattinson. Moving beyond In Conflict, Pallett plays old favourites including He Poos Clouds and ends the night encoring with The Great Elsewhere and This Is The Dream Of Win & Regine.