Gotye, Kimbra worth all the hype after EMU performance

Originally published on April 2, 2012 by The Eastern Echo

After months of buzz and anticipation, the long awaited Eastern Michigan University debut of Belgian/Australian indie rock artist Gotye finally landed at Pease Auditorium on March 29. The sold out show, which featured the buzz-worthy up-and-coming pop artist Kimbra, did not disappoint.

Kimbra got things off to a wild start when she stormed the stage, infecting the crowd with her endless energy. By the end of her first number, the crowd was already on its feet, dancing along with the bubbly soon-to-be pop star.

After four of her original songs, Kimbra brought the energy down for a slow and sensual rendition of a Nina Simone classic.

Once that song ended, she was back in full force as she started the second half of her set with the song “Limbo.”

She ended her performance with her two biggest hits, “Cameo Lover,” “Settle Down” and a brand new song “Come into my Head.”

After a brief intermission it was Gotye’s turn to rock the house and he did more than that.

The shaggy haired, unassuming rocker casually strolled on stage and immediately burst into a thundering selection of drum-heavy tracks. Before he even picked up a drum stick, the crowd was on its feet again, cheering and applauding.

When the music kicked in, so did some psychedelic, abstract visuals.

For his third song, the visuals got less psychedelic and more visceral, with a wild blood red tinted anime scene.

From there his set progressed like a steam train, featuring increasingly wild visuals. But when the classic, French inspired melody to his worldwide smash “Someone I used to know” started up, the audience was the wildest thing in the room.

Kimbra joined him on stage — as expected — and helped him deliver a clean and sensational performance.

After his eleventh number, Gotye took a four-minute break, during which the crowd cheered at the top of its lungs.

After the break, he decided to “pick up the pace a little bit” with three Motown inspired songs.

Gotye wrapped up the show with a wild saxophone-heavy number that was a wild departure from his normal fare.

Check out the Thursday, April 5 edition of The Eastern Echo for a full review.