Synthony No.5 At RAC Arena Review
Hey PopRockers, for all you dance music fans or retired ravers from years past, have we got a review for you. Synthony No.5 hit RAC Arena, and we were there front and centre, taking one for the team!
DR PACKER
The night started at 7 pm, with Dr Packer, also known as DJ ‘Greg Packer’ from WA. The Dr is known for his remixes of retro tracks from the 70s through to the 90s. I have always said that being the opening act as a DJ is the hardest set of the night, but tonight, DR Packer didn’t disappoint, warming up the crowd for…
Yolanda Be Cool
Next up Yolanda Be Cool. Playing a set of Electro swing, house and Nu-disco, YBC continued the vibe laid down by Dr Packer. The set was flawless, and with the crowd building, YBC, the anticipation for Synthony was growing. Yolanda Be Cool were superb and I would recommend people to seek them out. The same goes with Dr Packer; both acts are great artists that stand out on their own.
Shapeshifter
Next Shapeshifter, not to be confused with “The Shapeshifters”. Shapeshifter are a live Drum and Bass band originally from New Zealand. We only got two of the 5 members, PDigsss on vocals, and Apologies, I think Sam was on the decks/samplers. The show was awesome, the chemistry was amazing, which really had the expanding crowd, moving, ready for the main event.
SYNTHONY
And then it happened, the Perth Symphony Orchestra arrived on stage, to a roar and cheer. Once on stage, Ilan Kidron from “The Potbelleez” appeared as the MC/Host and introduced the master Conductor Sarah-Grace Williams. If you want to know more about Sarah-Grace, you can check out our interviews with her on YouTube.
The venue, ‘RAC Arena’, was the perfect setting; the light, the sound system, and the crowd were amazing, and the night was set to get even better.
The Vocalists and Sax
The show opened with two musical tracks, Sunrise by Strauss and Pjanoo by Eric Prydz. The first vocalist, Emily Williams, got the crowd hyped with Destination Calabria. Followed by Cassie McIvor with murder on the dance floor.
The mix of the vocalist, the Perth Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Sarah-Grace, was nothing short of amazing.
Next was the track World Hold on by Bob Sinclar, performed by Greg Gould. You can check out our interview with Greg here. Greg is an awe-inspiring talent who tonight showed his powerful vocal skills.
The next track introduces the saxophone-playing maestro Matty-O, playing along to The Man with the Red Face – Laurent Garnier.
Watch Our Interview with Greg Gould here.
PSO continued to hype the crowd with an amazing performance of Café Del Mar. Before Cassie McIvor came back on the stage to perform Rul De Silva’s Touch Me.
It was here that we had reached about a third of the way through. The atmosphere was through the roof, as I said before, the sound and lighting were A1, and a big shout out to the lighting and sound techs, Cheers to you, Awesome Job.
Ilan Kidron
You can’t have Ilan Kidron onstage and not have his signature track performed, Don’t Hold Back, and the Sarah-Grace and the PSO didn’t. It was an experience. Ilan managed to get Sarah-Grace to show off her dancing skills.
The surprise of the night was Ilan performing the Kings of Leon hit, Sex on Fire, with the crowd signing and getting involved; it was as if the whole crowd were part of the show.
Next was Saltwater by Chicane, Followed by Toccata & Fugue by Bach.
Nearly an emergency…
Emily Williams graced the stage once more, with Show Me Love from Robin S. Approximately halfway through, and I couldn’t hold on any longer, so I took a quick pee break, and I was back in time for Tell Me Why, performed by Greg Gould.
It was now time to rest the vocals, and Sarah-Grace directed the PSO through 3 classic dance tracks from Swedish House Mafia, Sash! And Robert Miles- One, Ecuador and Children respectively.
Next, a tribute of sorts to the late Avicii, with Ilan driving the vocals and Matty-O on sax, with Wake Me Up and Levels.
Into the home straight and Greg Gould returns for his rendition of We are Mirage by Empire of the Sun & Eric Prydz. Cassie and Greg did a swap, and Cassie smashed out Freed From Desire by Gala. Cassie’s powerful voice played amazingly alongside the Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Mash Up
The next track was a blend/mash-up of Underworld’s Born Slippy with The Killers’ Mr Brightside. Ilan performed it exceptionally, with the crowd also belting out the lyrics. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed it.
PSO took over again with Agio for Strings, by Samuel Barber and Tiesto. Emily Williams returned to the stage to showcase her talents as a vocalist with We Found Love by Calvin Harris and Rihanna, which was a superb ending to the night, and Sarah-Grace left the stage. However, Ilan wanted to know if the crowd wanted one more; obviously, yes.
Sarah Grace returned with applause and cheer from the crowd, picked up her baton, and got the Perth Symphony Orchestra going for one last track, the classic dance track Sandstorm by Darude.
The crowd loved Dancing and moving along, and eventually, like all good things, it came to an end. All the artists returned to the stage and took a bow. They bowed to the audience, and they bowed to the orchestra.
Start to finish
The whole night was amazing, superb from start to finish. All the artists added an element to the orchestra and songs that made them unique; they made the tracks their own. The crowd in the GA standing area were dancing all night. Some may have even peaked way to soon.
Ilan Kidron added presence to the stage and controlled the stage, without taking away from the superb performance of Sarah-Grace.
Sarah-Grace, with her signature long plait of hair, directed the Orchestra flawlessly and effortlessly. She took time to acknowledge the crowd, had a dance and made it look easy.
The Perth Symphony Orchestra, from the moment they appeared on stage, right up to the end, were there to play for the crowd. There is no doubt in my mind that every musician left the stage exhausted. They played 25 songs with high intensity and energy. And when they weren’t playing, they were getting into the music.
If you ever get the chance to see Synthony, then make sure you do it. It’s not just music, it’s the ultimate live experience, and that’s what they say on their website, and it is 100% True!
One-liners
Sarah-Grace Williams – 10/10 Perfect as always, nothing compares.
Ilan Kidron – His infectious charisma matches perfectly with SG.
Greg Gould – Amazing and powerful performance.
Emily Williams – Show stealer 100%.
Cassie McIvor – Simply stunning vocals.
Matty-O – Terrific Velvety & Hypnotic
Perth Symphony Orchestra – Superb! Must see more!
Thank You To…
PopRock radio Would like to Thank Synthony, and Duco Events for the access. We have a big thankyou to Sarah-Grace Williams Master Conductor for always being there for a chat! And a big shout out to Matt Davy for supplying tickets for our fans!
We cant forget to thank Adrian Thomson for the amazing photographs!
