One of the most recognisable female voices in the world, Hope Sandoval, played at The Forum in Melbourne last night.
Sandoval had not made it to Australia as a solo artist or during her time fronting Mazzy Star, so Australian fans had been long starved of her sublime voice and bewitching presence and they were well rewarded, for around twenty minutes.
Mid way through one of the many dreamy tracks off her latest album 'Through The Devil Softly', Sandoval walked off stage leaving the band stunned as to what to do. Drummer Colm Ó'Cíosóig announced to the crowd that there was a "technical glitch" before the band joined her off stage for over twenty minutes, leaving the audience to speculate as to what had actually happened.
Eventually she returned to the stage and made it through a few more tracks, including a spectacular version of 'For The Rest Of Your Life', one of the more esoteric songs on the album, but it wasn't long before the stage was empty once again.
Unfortunately, despite brilliant sound, mesmerising visuals and a fantastic band the gig was marred with two lengthy walk offs, a confused audience and an intro from Dr. Buzzkill who bluntly reminded the audience of the ban on photos and to "turn off your cellphones".
In future, I'll remember to enjoy Hope's amazing voice on CD and leave the live show to those who still care.
Follow the author Tim Cashmere on Twitter.
