Live Review: Postmodern Jukebox

Postmodern Jukebox filled the evening with recognisable melodies, engaging showmanship and treated Adelaide to an intimate tasting plate of their retro-pop. Over the past decade, the collective have gained attention from audiences around the world through their YouTube channel and have regularly brought their style to Australian fans the last few years. The five-piece backing band played host to a further five singers and recast a bill of pop hits in favour of a vintage sound from the first half of the 20th century.

Postmodern Jukebox wove diverse stylistic threads into a cohesive performance while remaining light and humorous thanks to the primary host, Ariana Savalas. The salacious ‘90s R&B hit Pony (Ginuwine) was only improved here with Savalas’ adaption, which incorporated striptease and a crowd volunteer, making for a performance that was at the same time amusing and a little uncomfortable. The laidback rearrangements of tunes like Hey Ya! (Outkast) and a ‘20s-inspired Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) were neat examples of how great songs can outlive the gimmicks of the year in which they were recorded. More accurately in this case, how they can be pleasantly reimagined as a homage to the past.

Known for their guest appearances, Postmodern Jukebox placed a strong bet by having five singers on board who boasted diverse stylistic backgrounds in pop, jazz and musical theatre, but also undeniable vocal chops. There was however a tendency to overdo and over-embellish, which could be seen as the one flaw of the show. Current trends embodied by songs like Where R U Now (Justin Bieber) were characterised by simplistic melodies and sparse arrangements, but in the case of the show closer Shake It Off (Taylor Swift), which has almost all one-note hooks, the vocal gymnastics and some overly busy arrangements seemed forced and didn’t translate to Postmodern Jukebox’s style quite as well. 

Overall, Postmodern Jukebox were a lot of fun and something quite different. They offered a night of known chart-toppers and classic tunes, as well as the excitement of novel and alternative arrangements. In this way, Postmodern Jukebox walk the line between a safe approach to crowd-pleasing and a bold reimagining of the songs we all love.