I decided to go along to this gig without having done much more research than stumbling across Sia’s recently released album. Little did I realise that I was more familiar with her work than I knew. With regards to the supporting artist, Har Mar Superstar, the only knowledge I had of him were his alleged antics with supermodels. 

Mr Superstar strutted onto the stage, almost reminiscent of an old umpa lumpa but without the make up and orange hair. Quoting a member of the crowd when asked what to expect I was told to think of Jack Black with the charisma but not the cool. How apt this was. As he launched into some disco funk, shaking his toosh as he sang tunes such as Cut Me Up, the crowd went a little crazy. If I hadn’t witnessed it I would never have thought that this was even a vague possibility.

"I was told to think of Jack Black with the charisma but not the cool."

As his show went on, his clothes came off till he was down to a fetching pair of blue Y-fronts, in which he had fun gyrating against the banister in the Rescue Rooms – not something I will be touching in the future. In the process of this he really did prove he was a superstar in his own right. This was demonstrated, as he simultaneously ordered three shots at the bar, danced, kissed a pretty girl, all whilst singing and sweating profusely. It’s obviously all about confidence! He provided the crowd with a great show, bantering with various people and on the whole getting a very warm response about being available for sexual exploits. 

Cue Sia…. Originating from Adelaide, Sia has a very impressive musical history. From acid jazz roots in Australia she has gone on to produce seven independent releases. Having been described as another Lauryn Hill or Nelly Furtado by various music critiques her sound is still very distinctive and individual. When listening to her album I had a constant niggling feeling that I had heard her voice before – this is not at all surprising as I am a bit of a Zero 7 fan and having feature heavily on many of their tracks, I was in fact very familiar with the work she’d done with them. Tracks performed such as Breath Me is also one of a number that have appeared on programmes like Six Feet Under and the O.C.

As the black lights came on, so did the Sia ensemble all wearing fluorescent outfits which had been made to look like the stick drawings that are on the cover of her new album, Some People Have Real Problems. On a stage with fluorescent tubing in the shape of flowers and the ground littered with toys, Sia performed new tracks from her album with support from a pianist, guitarists, a drummer and a cellist. The intensity of her performances of so many of her songs like Day To Soon and You Have Been Loved seemed to mesmerise the crowd, whilst her slightly quirky smile and intermittent commentary introduced an endearing air of innocence about her.

Dedicating songs to members of the crowd who had been to her site added a very personal dimension to the gig. Having worked her way through a number of genres of music she has shown her versatility as a musician already. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do next and am eagerly awaiting her next visit to Nottingham. It was indeed one of the most entertaining gigs I have been to in a while and whilst the first artist may not have been my cup of tea, catching a glimpse of him on YouTube may be worth the effort for a laugh. However with regards to Sia, she’s definitely one I would recommend going to see.

Photos courtesy of Matt Dalton (c)

Har Mar Superstar and Sia performed at the Rescue Rooms on April 7 2008

Har Mar Superstar Website

Sia Website

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