Perfect Tripod is the marrying of musical comedy trio Tripod (Scott Edgar, Simon Hall and Steven Gates), with actor, comedian and composer Eddie Perfect, to create a group that reimagines Australian songs in enchanting, almost entirely a cappella, four-part harmonies. From The Bee Gees to Silverchair, this quartet adds their own flavour to some well-known classics, as well as showcasing the works of more alternative artists, such as Archie Roach and Claire Bowditch.
Tripod have now been together for 18 years and over that time they have grown as performers, developed their act to a fine art and built up a strong fan base. It could be considered risky to mess with that dynamic by adding an outsider to the mix. In Perfect, however, they have found both a voice and personality which slot into the line-up almost seamlessly.
The four men are given the opportunity to strut their stuff as lead singer at different points and there’s no doubt each has a powerful instrument (though a touch of illness appeared to affect Gates’ top range). While the Tripod boys have particularly honed their harmonic skills in the upper register, Perfect’s bass voice is exceptionally impressive, with a beautiful smooth tone that seems to resonate right through you, and adds a new level of possibility to the group harmonies. The audience was mesmerised as the guys sang their well-known rendition of the haunting ‘Meet Me in The Middle of the Air’ by Paul Kelly. Another highlight of the evening was the energetic, sexy and mischievous reworking of Lanie Lane’s ‘Oh Well, That’s What You Get for Falling in Love With a Cowboy’.
Despite the musical content of this show being mostly straight down the line songs, as opposed to the comedic numbers for which these performers are best known, there was still a good deal of cheeky, light-hearted joking included. This combination results in a final product that is simple but a lot of fun, and also shows the quality of the artists’ voices and musicianship.
Kryztoff Rating: 4K
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