Live Review: Thievery Corporation

In the eight years since Thievery Corporation graced Perth with a visit, they have released two new albums. These have ranged in scope from classic bossa nova to trip hop, reggae fusion to dub.

For their last show they came with an extended 20-person line-up that filled one of the stages at the 2008 Good Vibrations Festival on Heirisson Island. Saturday's show was a slightly smaller affair with only five musicians and a rotating roster of six vocalists.

For an act that started off as a lounge electronica act, Thievery Corporation really know how to rock a party — how do they make the sitar sound so funky? Each track had a new vocalist and roadies were kept on their feet swapping guitars, sitars and other assorted instruments. It was a case of musical chairs, with everyone getting a chance to play something different each song.

The set definitely drew from the band's more political albums (Radio Retaliation and Culture Of Fear) yet there was enough of their earlier classic tunes thrown in for more casual fans.

The highlight of the set was the opening track from the encore. An extended sitar rendition of Lebanese Blonde, quickly followed by a singalong version of The Richest Man In Babylon.

Let's just hope it's not another eight years before the Corporation rolls around to our shores again.