Mosaic Music Festival
Grimes
Esplanade Theatre Studio/Last Saturday

She looked like a runaway Las Vegas child bride with a pink wedding veil over a black-and-gold T-shirt and black-and- pink short skirt. And the music of Grimes is likewise a mix of delicate innocence and knowing attitude.
Over 55 minutes, the 24-year-old Canadian artist served up a seamless serving of eight tracks as one flowed into the next. Most of them were taken off her breakthrough third album, Visions (2012), on which her sweet girlish voice floated over hypnotic synth lines and a pulsating bass.
Grimes was a captivating presence on stage. She danced to the music, sang, twiddled knobs and fiddled with dials. She teased and threatened on Vanessa: “Hey hey you wanna play/But baby I can go go”.
There was a youthful playful energy that held the sold-out crowd in thrall as they danced along. It seemed entirely appropriate when bubbles streamed into the air late in the set.
She also kept the transitions between numbers interesting. At one point, she seemed to be reciting an incantation. Whatever spell she was casting worked as the energy level in the room went up a notch when the distinctive intro for Oblivion kicked in.
The segue into Nightmusic had a totally different vibe. She worked herself up into a scream and the interlude that followed was like the soundtrack to a nightmare you wanted to dance to.
Sharing the stage with Grimes were one back-up vocalist and two dancers. One of them looked as though she had come straight from the now-defunct Mandopop club Dragonfly and her thrusting proved to be rather distracting at times.
Because of the way the set was structured, it felt like an abrupt break in the flow of the music when Grimes spoke.
The first time she said: “Oh, by the way, thank you for having me. I’m having the best time in Singapore.”
She then added: “I will now continue. As soon as I start talking, it starts going downhill.”
Later, she proclaimed that her second show of the night was better because “I’m more into it”.
Actually, her speedy bursts of speech were rather charming.
The encore number was her collaboration with dance act Blood Diamonds, Phone Sex. It was the most conventional sounding track of the night but everyone was having too much fun to care.
She made you think that running away with her would be a most exciting adventure.
(ST)