DARREN HAYES: THE SECRET’S OUT TOUR – BRIGHTON DOME – 29 SEPTEMBER, 2012
“Is he miming?” I was asked by a friend, one song in to the final night of Darren Hayes’ 2012 ‘The Secret’s Out’ tour at Brighton Dome last night. I of course scoffed and then ‘ssh’-ed him immediately.
But such is the strength of the former Savage Garden frontman’s vocal that he sounds as good live as he does on record and the question itself isn’t therefore a surprising one.
Last year, he released his fourth solo studio album, ‘Secret Codes and Battleships’; a labour of love that, he explains early on in the set, very nearly didn’t see the light of day. Whilst his fans are clearly a loyal bunch (the Dome is packed to the rafters with personalised tee shirt-wearing die hards), it seems record labels and radio stations are reluctant to invest money and airtime in to someone merely for their extraordinary vocal talent and showmanship. Otherwise the Brisbane-born London-based singer would be quids in.
Alas the sales come hand in hand with such publicity but Secret Codes still
managed to chart at #29 on its UK release last October, subsequently becoming Darren’s fourth consecutive Top 40 album; a massive achievement considering the lack of support its singles received but it is genuinely a fantastic record.
Darren makes it very clear that he recognises the driving forces behind his continued success and it feels like this new tour, an extension of the promotional gigs that he took around the UK last year in support of the new record, is a personal thank you to everyone who has put him on stage, from his fans to his family, from his former band to those who inspired him to realise his goals.
Brilliant song choices from each record that Hayes has sprinkled his magical fairydust over (including his 2008 ‘We Are Smug’ side project with long term collaborator Robert Conley) resulted in an 18 track set list that felt far shorter than it actually was, but time flew as fans were entranced and enthralled in equal measure whilst Darren expertly wove in between emotionally powerful numbers and exhilarating crowd pleasers.
The opening four songs set the bar high with ‘God Walking Into The Room’ feeling a rather appropriately titled kick off, what with all the screaming going on (albeit mainly from me), and ‘I Like The Way’ instantly reminding me just how incredible Darren’s sophomore album ‘The Tension and the Spark’ still is. ‘To The Moon and Back’ has aged beautifully and ‘Nearly Love’ is a great dose of solid pop from ‘Secret Codes’.
So far, so good but it was the acoustic medley of ‘Cruel Cruel World’, ‘So Beautiful’ and ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ which then shifted the gear for the whole night, silencing the singalong crowd as Darren paid tribute to his husband and shared his difficulties with finding label support to release the album. ‘Cruel Cruel World’ had, until that point, been little more than a very listenable new album track. Of course, a good gig and a great performance puts the songs in to perspective and this was just the beginning.
Refusing to let the audience get too caught up in balladry for any extended period of time, ‘Affirmation’ album track ‘The Animal Song’ then arrived to get the crowd jumping and waving their arms around quite appropriately resembling primates endulging in a tribal dance whilst recent single ‘Black Out The Sun’ – co-written with Carl Falk and originally planned as an offering for Leona Lewis – was delivered with the haunting intensity that makes it one of the new release’s stand out cuts.
The music video for the last single he released ‘Stupid Mistake’ set the scene for the next four tracks, with Hayes tackling his more disillusioned moments within the industry – the highlight for me being an EXTRAORDINARY electronic mash up of Bros’ ‘When Will I Be Famous’ with the still-lyrically wonderful #12 hit ‘Pop!ular’, taken from his critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘The Tension and the Spark’. If the prospect of watching Darren strut around the stage, lit up electronically and spouting about selling his soul for fame doesn’t appeal already, throw in a bit of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ for good measure. “Greta Garbo and Monroe…”
‘Hot Tub Blues’ is a lesser known Hayes hit and will continue to divide fans of his more traditional take on music – it’s hard to believe it’s even the same man singing what sounds like a jazz musical comedown – but, in the context of the section of this tour, it worked remarkably well.
A surprise yet sombre performance of the stunning ‘Affirmation’ album cut ‘I Don’t Know You Anymore’ wrapped up that section to massive rounds of applause but it was clear that dancing shoes needed to be dusted off. Perfect timing for the title track of Savage Garden’s final full lengther, providing one of the most exhilarating moments of the night, before he ended his set with a splendid rendition of the beautifully melodic Secret Codes album closer ‘The Siren’s Call’.
Back on stage for a final hat trick of top tracks, Darren’s debut solo single ‘Insatiable served up one of the biggest highlights of the show. An absolutely blistering, electronic, dance reworking had it sampling Snap’s Rhythm Is A Dancer and providing a sonically surprising yet utterly incredible marriage of tracks that could rival much of the current dance fodder cluttering the charts.
He then paid tribute to his elder sister Tracy by performing two tracks he wrote for her. First up was ‘Casey’ from his 2007 double length album, ‘This Delicate Thing We’ve Made’, followed by the soaring and majestic ’Bloodstained Heart’, one of my favourite songs in recent years.
Emotions packed the intimate setting, and for the entire two hours, I felt more involved than I’ve ever felt at any other gig I have been to. I was either beaming from ear to ear or I was welling up. I was never ambivalent, instead always in awe. Yes, he’s a great showman. Yes, he has one of the most incredible, if not the most incredible, live vocals (THAT falsetto!) that I’ve heard in my thirty years.
But for me, what makes me tremble at the knees and turn in to what is probably a very sad fanboy, is how he communicates with his fans, and the connection that he develops between himself, them and the lyrics. I was just an observer last night, but ultimately I felt totally immersed and part of the show.
Someone make sure that he releases another album.
SETLIST:
- God Walking Into The Room (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- I Like The Way (The Tension and The Spark)
- To The Moon And Back (Savage Garden’s self titled debut album)
- Nearly Love (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- Cruel Cruel World (Acoustic) (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- So Beautiful (Acoustic) (Truly Madly Completely)
- Truly Madly Deeply (Acoustic) (Savage Garden’s self titled debut album)
- The Animal Song (Savage Garden – Affirmation)
- Black Out The Sun (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- Stupid Mistake (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- Pop!ular – When Will I Be Famous/Vogue mash up (The Tension and The Spark)
- Hot Tub Blues (We Are Smug)
- I Don’t Know You Anymore (Savage Garden – Affirmation)
- Affirmation (Savage Garden – Affirmation)
- The Siren’s Call (Secret Codes & Battleships)
- Insatiable – Rhythm Is A Dancer mash up (Spin)
- Casey (This Delicate Thing We’ve Made)
- Bloodstained Heart (Secret Codes & Battleships)
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