Perth Festival has turned it on for another summer with an amazing selection of live and local bands as well as the sought after international acts. There is often one or two acts that stand out to me when I review the Festival Program and Rhye was one that could not be missed. I quickly realised that was not the only one, as the Canadian summonsed a large crowd out on a sacred Sunday night.

Musician and comedian Lucy Peach opened the evening with a selection of delightful folk which was quite the match up against Rhye. Peach was big on the crowd engagement as crowds rolled in.

When I first heard Rhye’s crooning, intimate sound, people were wondering who in fact was Rhye. At the time it was both Michael Milosh and Robin Hannibal. When I heard the news that Rhye was riding solo with the new LP Blood, I was uncertain as to what to expect at the live show. The recorded music always reached a very intimate, devotional place, so I was pleased to see him tour with a seven-piece band to give the music the depth it deserved.

Rhye performed a selection of tracks including ‘Please’, ‘Taste’ and ‘The Fall’ whilst swaying under the lights of Chevron Gardens. It was lovely to hear the warmer and more mature sounds of Blood. Whilst the tracks were not soaring hits with the crowd, they were gentle and quite fitting for the slower paced evening. Milosh dived into his back catalogue, while swaying in and around his band, playing keys, drums and percussion. The organist and violinist added power and texture to the soundtrack for the evening.

As the crowd went wild for ‘Open’, ‘Last Dance’ and ‘Song for You’, the crowd swooned over the sultry sound of Milosh’s androgynous vocals. Underpinning all of the emotion was this magnificent voice that carried the band and the crowd through ninety minutes of bliss. This, in my mind, cemented it as one of the stand out performances of the Perth Festival season.