GIG: SHAPESHIFTER

PREVIEW BY KOMI SELLATHURAI

Shapeshifter’s elusive brand of music has been described as soulful drum and bass with funk, reggae, hip hop and electronic influences, amongst others. It was time someone asked the band what the hell it is that they thought they were playing. Band member, Sam Trevethick (keyboards, guitar, percussion) – who isn’t too crazy about all the genre labeling ‘ said, ‘I’ll call it dance music, because you dance to it.’

And that’s the one unequivocal element to their music. Their crisp beats infused with the soulful masculine tones of lead singer Paora ‘P Digsss’ Apera does things to your body you wouldn’t dare tell your partner. Like domino blocks, each word that escapes P Digsss’ lips are strategically placed within the assembly of pulsating beats to produce a natural high in your blood stream. Tracks like Long White Cloud and Bring Change take their time to tease you into the heart of the song, which then takes off like a fully-fueled fighter jet. This whole experience is now compacted and released as a live album.

To celebrate Shapeshifter Live, recorded with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the band kick-starts it’s Australian tour in Sydney. Like New Zealand counterparts Fat Freddy’s Drop, their highly anticipated live shows are known to be sold-out events back home, in Australia and Europe. As well as tracks from their previous albums Soulstice and Riddum Wise, Sam promises a sneak peak into their new, yet-to-be-named album, which will be released next year.

‘We try to play something different every night. If you play the same shit for a couple of years, you’ll lose interest in your own music which is a horrible feeling,’ he says. Sam was bitten by the music bug at a very early age and loved the idea of being spontaneously creative in front of an audience.

So what does a live Shapeshifter show feel like from the other side’ ‘It feels really really good,’ says Sam, ‘it’s your chance to communicate with the audience which is really exciting. And to communicate your music, your composition in a live situation is an amazing experience.’

Unfortunately, there are too many great bands (outside America) that never make it big enough to see a massive crowd of fans. What if, and god forbid such a scenario, Shapeshifter never found success’
‘I’d probably be working in KFC or something. Maybe McDonald’s. No, maybe I’d be a teacher. I don’t know. It’s a pretty scary thought. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life other than music,’ says Sam. Amen.

Shapeshifter Live is out now on Pattern through Inertia.

Shapeshifter
September 5
The Metro Theatre
624 George Street
Tickets: $35, www.inthemix.com.au