Client Liaison are perfect. You’re struck as the concert progresses by what a beautiful creation this band is and grateful for the opportunity to witness Harvey, Monte and the rest of the band do the thing that they made their name by. This is creativity at a high level and Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller have succeeded in taking their creation to perfection relatively quickly. I saw them at the Forum Melbourne two years ago and here I am again, standing in the same location at the back corner of the floor area by the bar, which is the perfect location for a short person like me, that few metres distance between myself and the tall people further in making all the difference and allowing me to actually see. There’s even the same blonde boy dancing next to me as at the 2017 show, rather amazingly.

So it feels like a special kind of déjà vu, wondering what’s in store this time, knowing you can’t expect a repeat of the previous show but with high expectations, hoping it’s going to be as good. And it is, maybe not quite with the densely compacted raid fire volley of songs at the core of the show, generating a high level of intensity such as That’s Desire and Feed The Rhythm.

Client Liaison were riding the crest of a wave of celebrated achievements back then, peaking with the release of Foreign Affair and the appearance of its guest singer, Tina Arena at the career high performance at Splendour In The Grass. The Liaison were perhaps a touch more mellow this time, or with a softened feel, but without losing any of their edge.

This was still a blisteringly good show, with Morgan, Miller and the band performing with as much passion and hunger as ever. As the lights went down, they filed onto stage under blue light with the giant eyeball from the cover art The Real Thing, the first single from the new album, on the screen at the back of the stage, which Client Liaison played a snippet of to get the party started, and met naturally with a rousing reception from an adoring crowd. There is an interesting dimension to the facet of local heroes being met with roaring approval in this instance. For with Client Liaison it doesn’t seem like a crude tribal mentality. It feels elevated, like there’s a collective understanding that we’re here to appreciate art that improves us and lifts us into a higher realm.

Perhaps biggest hit Wild Life comes in early in the show, second in the running order, a welcome appearance at any time and it’s interesting to see the difference in emotional impact, brought in as the show is still warming up rather than when it’s been solidly building further down the line in the concert. And it’s a telling reflection of the times having changed, now no longer necessarily one of the peaks of the show, amongst new songs to introduce. Next up is third and latest single Champagne Affection from the forthcoming album, a slow groove which sounds pretty catchy and appealing.

This is followed by another track of rapidly made legend to Client Liaison’s fans, Off White Limousine, which ratcheted up the celebratory, wildly appreciative response from the crowd, singing to the chorus and dancing with merry abandonment. Off White Limousine has all the trappings of a party starter, with an element of pomp and dramatic, high spirited energy, Morgan’s lyrical narrative carrying its characteristic concise, immediate quality.

It’s reaffirming to hear it live again, a welcome reminder of a recent, fondly remembered past blended in with the new in this show. Correspondingly, Morgan introduces an outlandish, glittering long silver coat for Off White Limousine which draws audible murmurs of interest and whoops of approval from the nearby crowd. This is what a Client Liaison show gives, the value of theatre, flamboyance and showmanship not lost on them, such elements pulled off very professionally and one of the factors that makes a Client Liaison concert so special.

Indeed, in my own mind I refer to Monte Morgan as an ‘Australian Prince’ as other music journalists have done previously, observing shades of Prince in Morgan’s stage presence and even appearance with his mop of slick, black, curly hair. It’s a welcome element, with Prince’s fabulous flamboyance on stage, all the more so given the Purple One has sadly departed this plane all too prematurely, it’s nice having Monte Morgan evoke a little bit of Prince’s warmth and energy with pure authenticity and spontaneity. Current single The Beat Supreme also came early in the show and I was struck with how the new songs make a lot more sense after you hear them live, because I haven’t been able to tap into the recorded versions as much so far. But I quite enjoyed The Beat Supreme live and it sounded crisp and emotionally captivating.

Another captivatingly warm, hypnotic new song next and then early favourite, Queen. Free Of Fear came soon afterwards, which was nice to hear live, being slightly more obscure and a fine song from their body of work. A slab of fun came in the form of a rousing cover of Madison Avenue’s 1999 pop classic Don’t Call Me Baby, met with great enthusiasm by the crowd and critiquing what it means to be Australian just as much as celebrating it, as is Client Liaison’s way. Previous covers in live shows have been Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You and What’s Love Got To do With It? By Tina Turner, celebrating the 80’s and 90’s with aplomb. This is another part of the fun of Client Liaison’s live shows, a mirthful, slightly tongue in cheek, affectionate celebration of those two musical goldmines of decades.

As has been noted of Pet Shop Boys, part of Client Liaison’s ethos is hedonism, as suggested by the champagne bottle Morgan spews over the crowd at the uproarious end of the show, and they do it exceptionally well. Survival In The City was as magical live as it is on record and Electric Eyes was another welcome inclusion from Diplomatic Immunity, previously unheard live and adding to the slightly gentler, softer overall vibe of the current show. For the encore we had a triumphant rendition of World Of Our Love, The Real Thing for which the crowd went absolutely mad and the show finished with the second cover of the night, Kool and the Gang’s Celebrate. A fitting anthem for Client Liaison, for whom partying is high on the agenda in their live concerts, ended the show on a really good-natured note and is something the audience can sing along to, which they did with mad passion.

You’re reminded on seeing Client Liaison live that they actually are an indie band and I was struck with the very clear and incisive impression that they’re genuinely cutting edge artistically in an expansive, positive way rather than murky and overly obscure. When you listen to a band exhaustively you become used to them and forget the musical context they have, these sharp edges of musical and aesthetic sophistication, although I often marvel at the beauty and sophistication with which they’re written. And to return to my opening comment, as the sweet and lovely breeze of their emotional, uplifting music washes through me, as incredibly high praise indeed this is, often throughout the show I reflect on how as a musical act and live performance experience, this is more or less perfection.

There’s an agreeable cohesion that permeates their music and performance and it strikes you, this is what you look for in music, it’s emotionally complete and artistically elevated. It’s impressive that for a show at a 2,000-odd capacity venue such as the Forum, it’s as good as any of the big stadium shows and amongst the very, very best. There’s a nice sense of intimacy still at the Forum and of Client Liaison possessing that incisive indie artistry, by not being too big they’re aesthetically superlative and you feel party to a secret, special experience of musical beauty. Harvey Miller, Monte Morgan and all the musicians who work with you, I tip my hat to you, you’ve produced a very special creation with Client Liaison, it’s a thing of beauty.