Sia - Club Academy - 05/04/08 by James Ellaby

Less than six months after her last visit, Manchester has recovered enough for the whirlwind of kookiness that is Sia Furler to return, day-glo stick-figure costumes and all, for another evening of stunning music, good laughs and cantaloupe abuse. But more of that later. Of course, since she played Night & Day back in November, her fourth album Some People Have Real Problems has been released, so that inevitably means that the show is much easier for fans and journalists alike to enjoy as there aren't so many unfamiliar songs.

This of course leads to a better atmosphere all round as the fans don't have to stand back and appreciate the music but can get involved and sing along, something that Sia seemed particularly impressed with. Before Death By Chocolate she paid tribute to the audience at Night & Day for being the best singers on the last tour and after it she was quite literally jumping up and down with excitement and hailing her Mancunian fans for the best things ever. This is the kind of stuff you get all the time at live gigs, but never usually with the kind of emotion that makes you believe that she really means it.

It's that connection with her fans that sets Sia apart from most other performers, and there is a mini-crisis at the start of the show as she realises that she doesn't have her specially-marked setlist with the names of all the fans who had requested dedications for particular songs on her messageboard. When she hopefully starts to get more popular, this will presumably have to be abandoned as she'd never have any time to actually the play the songs inbetween dedications, but that would be sacrificing the kind of intimacy and warmth that her gigs currently have.

What they also have is a lot of great songs, particularly those from the new album, which has seen her take a big step up from her earlier work. Opener Buttons, which again has the day-glo stick figure costumes on display, only makes it onto the album as hidden track at the end, but is a fantastic way to kick the gig off, with the colourful stage set lighting up the slightly uninspiring venue (which was at least more temperate than the oppressively sweltering Night & Day back in November). Day Too Soon and Little Black Sandals are two other early highlights, showcasing her stunning vocals to perfection and coming to life even more than their recorded versions.

There aren't really many weak songs on display, with even new song Co-Dependent (from some kind of vague-sounding animation/music project that may see the light of day next year) sounding great, while forthcoming single The Girl You Lost To Cocaine is probably the most upbeat and poppy song you'll ever hear that has 'cocaine' in the title. Zero 7 tunes Destiny and Somersault are both excellent of course, as well as being responsible for introducing Sia to many in the audience, but it's the always-spine-tingling Breathe Me that proves to be the defining moment again, demonstrating that beneath the excitable oddball that Sia presents to the world is a real depth, which is what makes her such a compelling artist and performer.