Live Review: The Cinematic Orchestra

This show was every bit the sensory treat it promised to be. The Cinematic Orchestra's lush and moving music was beautifully heightened by the 40-piece Sydney International Orchestra, and when accompanied by the delicate dissections of natural and artificial light from visual geniuses The Light Surgeons, it was truly mind-blowing.

Burn Out eased open the set with gentle marimba samples and smooth double bass. Light jazzy drums and deep, raw pedal notes from Tom Chant on saxophone were added into the mix as an awesome keys solo featured on a Rhodes. The strings section kicked into gear and Heidi Vogel walked out on stage to add her beautiful, earthy vocals, which swelled and then just as smoothly ebbed away.

Their set wove between epic orchestral surges, virtuosic solos and intricate layers of samples and rhythms, led throughout by bandleader Jason Swinscoe. The transitions were seamless and the extended intros and outros were perfectly coupled with breathtaking visuals. Twinkly, out-of-focus flames shifted into fluffy, white clouds rolling across a clear blue sky; a timelapse of stars and galaxies morphed into shimmering waves of Northern Lights over a snow-covered forest.

Familiar Ground was stunning with its visuals of dappled light filtering through trees and Vogel's emotional vocals swelling through the room. Of course, as integral to music as sound is silence, and there were some beautiful stripped-back moments. Alone with his guitar and voice, Larry Brown impressed with Music Box, which hung in the air as the audience held their breath.

Not only was the musical prowess of each of the band members apparent from the get-go, but their sheer love of making music. Drummer Luke Flowers was the most entertaining to watch as his face mirrored the intricate patterns of his multi-tasking limbs in what looked like a two-hour musical orgasm.

To Build A Home was the first encore and while Brown's simplified version on guitar was beautiful, particularly once the orchestra kicked in, it couldn't compare to the original with its stark piano and Patrick Watson's heart-wrenching voice. The band were introduced and each took an impressive solo before the evening culminated with All That You Give, in which Vogel's soaring vocals shone. The evening was an amazing exploration into the relationship between sound and visual, and as the audience departed, there was a shared understanding that they had just experienced something extraordinary.