Although it's a little late to review Bjork's appearance at Melbourne's Big Day Out, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to rave about her captivating performance at this year's festival. I knew all of maybe four songs before going into her show and everyone knows the Big Day Out is not the ideal place to hear a performer reach their full potential, what with a commonly unbalanced sound system and the rolling waves of bogans to contend with. Yet, none of this mattered in the end when the sun started to set and Bjork's warbling voice began to float over the swirling orange dust storms.
A full brass band strode onto the stage, decked out in costumes that looked like a cross between that of a marching band and a tribe of Indian cheifs. They later turned out to be back up singers and dancers too, which I was mightily impressed with! Then entered the leading lady herself, decked out in a head to toe gold panelled kimono of sorts, with elaborate makeup and head-dress. Sounds ridiculous in writing but everything makes sense with Bjork. From that moment on I was star struck by her unbelievably powerful voice, peculiar dance moves and even stranger speaking voice. She was accompanied by an impressive band and a form of live digital djing, which I find hard to describe in words here. I'm probably years behind, no doubt most of you out there have seen all that before!
Bjork ended the set with what she called a 'lullaby for the indigenous people of this nation'. As she raised her arms high above her head and cried out to the crowd "Erase your flag!" I saw a lot of confused looks on the faces of true blue aussies with Australian flags wrapped around their sunburnt shoulders. But I saw a lot of elated smiles too. At that moment my respect and admiration for her was firmly cemented and it was suddenly clear why she has made it this far, why she has produced so many albums, and why she has so many loyal and devoted fans. Bjork, you're amazing!
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