I stepped into the warehouse off Sydney Road and was delighted; I have always wanted a warehouse completely covered in mattresses, blankets, beds and cushions. Musical Thoughts For A Darkened Room showed off the taste and talents of the two musicians Scott Edwards and Edward Gould. In front of this gigantic display of softness and bedding was an area for the two musicians decked out with laptops, an electric piano, a guitar and an old boombox. The theme of the music to be played was interesting interpretations of familiar pop songs.

As the pair started playing, Gould using live instrumentation and Edwards manipulating these sounds and using electronic samples, you realised that the two had been playing together for a long time. The two musicians played off each other extremely well, building their sound slowly and tastefully. Edwards would play cello samples and create intricate and complex soundscapes as Gould would plod along on the piano with perfect restraint.

Many of the vocal tracks were be played through the boombox, giving the singing an eerie and distant feel as the music built and morphed around it. Some parts of the show were exceptionally beautiful and touching. It took me a long time to realise that they were playing pop songs. At the point where I realised that Beyonce’s Halo was being played, I was humbly humoured.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Musical Thoughts For A Darkened Room was that nothing was ever too flashy and there was no need or place for ego driven parts. Sometimes Edwards would drop a large beat over the top of everything, at times it could have seemed too much but it would never linger too long or be too fleeting.

Visual artists Lisa Stewart and Rachel Feery, who in addition designed the set, did the lighting. Next to the musicians was a mountain of blankets, which slowly lit up in different colours, with the colours seeping on to the wall. At times it looked like a striking sunset and sometimes like a big pulsating blue stone.

Musical Thoughts For A Darkened Room was a comfortable and engaging hour of aesthetically pleasing sounds and sights. I recommend this show wholeheartedly.