It wasn’t a comfortable start to Julia Holter’s Sunday evening performance at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent: we felt like sardines, seated shoulder to shoulder, unable to wrestle free for relief from the clammy enclosure. But the impressive turnout for the Los Angeles-based musician, who is known for her avant-garde musical compositions with influences spanning pop and folk to classical music, was promising – perhaps Sydney’s live music fans are more dedicated than some give them credit?
Holter introduced her set as “Some oldies and some newies”, which translated to around 90 minutes of grand, shifting soundscapes from her 2015 album Have You in My Wilderness and her more recent, fifth, album Aviary (2018).
She was joined by her incredibly talented multi-instrumental band, who helped build on those dense layering techniques for songs like ‘Everyday Is an Emergency’ – a disturbing, screeching song that uses bagpipes, Holter’s versatile voice and synthesizers to create a cacophony so urgent it has you upright in your seat. The eight-minute song later softens to a haunting, melancholic tune.
Photograph: Prudence Upton
Many songs from Holter’s performance are just as lengthy and drawn out. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a soundcheck and the gentle build-up of percussion, French horn and viola. Holter’s eyes roll back, hair over her eyes, lost in the chaos of her compositions – like the sound controls her rather than the reverse.
Holter’s voice is so impressive it’s hard to believe the sounds emerge from her body. She scales familiar and wondrous noises that you might associate with birdsong, or whale call, or an angelic choir. When she has time to breathe is a total mystery. ‘I Shall Love 2’, with it’s climbing “ooooo”, is performed with increasing volume and speed to its abrupt finish. ‘Sea Calls Me Home’ – a clear crowd favourite – is reminiscent of a seaside fairground tune, joyful but erratic.
It was the most distinctive musical experience we’ve seen at Sydney Festival. Though some audience members left the Spiegeltent early, the vast majority stayed to demand an encore, which Holter generously honoured.