Perfume Genius played Royale – 5/13

Mike Hadreas’ Perfume Genius project headlined their biggest Boston show yet at the Royale on Saturday night, with support from serpentwithfeet. 

Circa 2011-12, my first encounters with Perfume Genius – then the hushed, piano-driven and largely solo endeavor of Seattle singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas – were less than ideal. Chatty, indifferent audiences practically drowned out his opening sets for Beirut and Sigur Ros, and it was a struggle to connect with those intensely intimate songs even when you tried. Fast forward five years, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone daring to talk over a Perfume Genius set.

That’s due in part, of course, to Hadreas’ evolution from somber balladeer to bold art-pop auteur over the course of his four full lengths. This month’s No Shape is his most expansive and daring work yet, doubling down on its predecessor’s colorful synth palette, unflinchingly personal lyricism and unconventional songwriting to dazzling effect. Those new songs made up the bulk of Saturday’s set, delivered with passion and theatrical flair by Hadreas and his three-piece band. In turn, the night’s selections from 2014’s Too Bright tended toward that record’s most electric, thrilling moments. A strobe-blasted “My Body” was arguably the show’s peak.

It was the quieter moments sourced from the earlier half of the Perfume Genius catalog, however, that served as a reminder of why we all should’ve been paying closer attention to those opening sets a half-decade ago in the first place. Sparse takes on some early songs, true to the recorded originals, proved Hadreas barely accompanied at a piano just as spellbinding as his grander efforts.

In a generous setlist that touched on all four records and nearly every career highlight, Hadreas and company more than earned the leap in venue size from their last Boston headlining gig. Perfume Genius has been destined for stages like this all along.

Opener serpentwithfeet, also known as vocalist Josiah Wise, enthralled in his own right with a minimalistic but powerfully soulful set that undoubtedly made some new fans among the crowd – myself included.

See photos from both sets below.