It’s telling that Dorian Electra’s first show in Melbourne sold out within a matter of days. Removed from the corporate humdrum of Sydney’s Mardi Gras, of which Electra’s tour was associated, diverse Melbourne definitely feels like the spiritual home for an artist like Electra. The second show felt like an even more natural fit, taking place at Fitzroy’s Gasometer Hotel, one of the north side’s best, grungy institutions.
First up on the stage in the cavernous Gaso was Melbourne local Mani Blü. Cutting a glammy, Pete Burns-like figure complete with moody lighting and wind machine, Blü impressed with a very polished act. The torch pop of “Vertigo” and the joyous “Round and Round” showcased Blü’s vocals — dulcet tones that sounded even better live than on their recorded versions. Blü has a clear vision of their own brand of ’80s-tinged synth pop and is definitely one to watch.
“The casual choreography tied the evening’s gender fluid pop package together with Electra commanding a dynamic leading figure.”
The gothic opening chords of album title track “Flamboyant” upped the dramatic tone with Electra taking to the stage accompanied by whip crack sound effects and strobing lights. The importance of the visual aspect of the artist’s oeuvre was clear; Electra donned a costume as seen in the music video for latest single “Guyliner”, combining American football body armour and S&M-style harnesses highlighted by a lurid lime green, Electra looked like a sexy Monster Energy drink, and was full of just as much vigour.
Guest back up dancers took the forms of local drag queens Fembot XYZ and Misty Pical, who also perform as musical duo Fisty. The casual choreography tied the evening’s gender fluid pop package together with Electra commanding a dynamic leading figure. The “Flamboyant” singer is definitely toying with tropes of the “musical genius” and showy musical front-person. Antecedents such as David Bowie, Freddy Mercury and Elton John are felt in Electra’s titular “flamboyant” swagger.
“The inherent silliness in labels, looks and ascribed behaviours was made clear.”
“Mr. To You” was a frenetic slice of cyber pop that really opened up the mosh pit. Commonalities with PC Music and the futuristic pop of artists such as collaborator Charli XCX can be heard in in the electronic production of much of Electra’s output.
Electra’s song writing skills are very evident in their clever lyrics and intelligent treatment of subject matter. Political intent and subversive humour imbues everything they do. Crowd favourite “Man To Man” featured a pantomimic tussle between Fembot XYZ and Misty Pical duking it out on the stage. Throughout the show Electra played with “manly” tropes such as the football player, “sugar daddy” and sleazy fedora-wearing dude.
Traditional gender constructs were twisted and deconstructed and the inherent silliness in labels, looks and ascribed behaviours was made clear. The stomping “Adam & Steve” saw a more serious Electra take on biblical themes which struck a chord with many in the crowd who had to suffer through the religious rhetoric used in the “Yes Vote” saga of the past couple of years.
There is power in the expression of one’s voice and Electra obviously relishes this utilising musical production to produce a multitude of voices. This is not T-Pain’s hokey autotune, but more akin to the robotic vocal distortions of Swedish group The Knife, or Berlin-based Planningtorock’s pitch-shifting sound. These signature altered vocals, however, didn’t always fully translate live on The Gaso’s sound system. On songs like the dark, sexy “Emasculate”, the vocals got a little lost in the mix.
Musically, things turned up a notch on “Gentle Man/M’Lady” with a “donk” remix upping the tempo and sweat factor. “Live By The Sword” saw further crowd participation with sword props being wielded around wildly and a bit of crowd surfing by Electra themselves.
“Daddy Like” was another crowd favourite with it’s cheeky word play and “D-A-D-D-Y” singalong chant. “Rent cheque sent” is one of those lines that a struggling millennial really gets. The highly anticipated “Career Boy”, also struck a chord with the youthful crowd. An ode to the working masses, Electra sang of the struggles of working for “The Man” with a capital “M”.
Charli XCX’s track “Femmebot”, on which Electra guested, was an apt encore paying tribute to the song that propelled Electra into the limelight in 2017 and hinted at more mainstream possibilities. With increasing representation of diverse identities in recent times, Electra’s show felt fresh and vital, and is undoubtably the tip of the iceberg of a plethora of voices we have yet to hear.