Skÿe.
At a first impression it would seem that the most captivating part of Skÿe’s performance is his gorgeous, flowing piano compositions.
Then he starts to sing.
No matter how many times you see him perform it’s unlikely that you’d ever be prepared for the breathtaking vocals of this young Melbourne artist. With phenomenal range and rich, clear tone, Skÿe can silence the room from the first note – as he did in Tuesday night’s Sonic Textures performance at the Alley Cat, Fitzroy.
In the dimly lit, hazy, back alley bar, Skÿe delivered a set that was heartfelt, honest, and completely captivating. As his first performance with a band behind him, it took a couple of songs for the group to settle into the performance, however Skÿe handled the initial fumbles with grace and quickly had the whole room in the palm of his hand. His good humour and honest, conversational approach to addressing the audience created a very intimate atmosphere, which, given the heart-wrenchingly honest nature of his music, drove every word and emotion home for those listening.
And all of the things that I should have said
Mean so much more when they can’t be said.
– Until It’s Gone
It’s rare to find artists who display complete mastery in their instruments, vocals, and writing, and it’s what makes Skÿe’s performances so completely enthralling. Skÿe has no filler songs, or filler lyrics within his music. Every word serves to drive home the song’s overarching emotion, as do the melodies they are set to. Making use of his expansive vocal range, Skÿe creates true light and shadow in the contours of his melodies, keeping his audience captivated with every word. His complete control of his vocals allowed for some phenomenal vocal runs and belts, most memorably in ‘Wait For Me,’ which had the audience erupting into applause mid-song.
Songs normally performed as a solo artist had a new life and groove to them within Tuesday’s full band arrangement, the true highlight of which was the harmonic arrangements between Skÿe and his two backing vocalists. Every harmony over the course of the night landed perfectly, and particularly in songs such as ‘Until It’s Gone’ were employed in creative and surprising arrangements that didn’t just enhance the music, but gave it a whole new dimension.
Closing his set with just 2 backing vocalists and himself on the keys, Skÿe ended with a song called ‘Every Heartbreak’ – hurrying to assure the audience ‘it’s more hopeful than it sounds.’ It was an honest and intimate ending to his performance, reminding the whole room that with a band or performing solo, Skÿe has his mesmerizing performances down to a fine art.