Goose Honks, Baldur’s Gate, and a Blast of Orchestral Nostalgia
Words by Mike Loder for Levelhead Gaming
On the heels of their sold-out show, Indie Symphony, Orchestra Victoria are back with Indie Symphony II, bringing more live music from some of our favourite video games. Monumental scores were performed by over 60 musicians, alongside a live choir and brilliant soloists lighting up the Hamer Hall stage.
Meena Shamaly, host of ABC Classic’s Game Show, was an absolute delight as MC for the night. He’s the kind of host who makes you feel like you’re pulling up a chair for a Dungeons and Dragons session, dice rattling in hand, ready for a story.
He spun his introductions with this wonderful sense of whimsy and intrigue, carrying us through each game world and performance like a seasoned Dungeon Master revealing twists and linking the narrative with humour and passion.
You could tell he genuinely loves games and music, and that energy was contagious.
The projections running behind the orchestra were fantastic and added so much atmosphere. Although I did notice they started repeating at times.
At first, it irked me a little, but then I found my attention being drawn to the orchestra, scanning each section and just marvelling at the talent on display.
It’s hard to stay annoyed when you’re watching someone absolutely nail a drum solo, and imagining all those hours of practice and dedication each member brought to the stage was pretty damn inspiring.
There was a brilliant moment during the Darkest Dungeon section where they recreated wind and thunder using metal sheets and a giant wheel, which I found extremely satisfying.
It was paired with visuals full of wonderfully dark parallax images that pulled you straight into the game’s world. Each game was celebrated with artistic style and flair on the screen, and of course timed beautifully with the music for maximum impact and emotion...The Undertale section was surprisingly impactful on an emotional level.
INDIE SYMPHONY II PLAYLIST
You can dive into these brilliant game soundtracks and relive the concert vibes anytime!
Attending the concert was an absolute joy. There was something magical and a bit explosive about seeing a full orchestra tackle music from games like Undertale and Untitled Goose Game.
It felt high brow yet completely approachable, thanks to the nature of the material.
It all gave me the same vibe as attending one of those exclusive shows in Star Wars on Coruscant. Though instead of Senator Palpatine in the box next to me, I had a lovely gaming couple beside me who I ended up connecting with online afterwards. A reminder of the brilliant community that events like this bring together.
I have to mention one unexpected highlight for me — hearing the piece from Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. That game’s been sitting in my PlayStation cart for a little while now, so catching that beautiful, haunting track composed by Jessica Curry was a proper “right, that’s it, I’m buying it” moment.
It’s amazing how live music can push you over the edge into finally picking up a title you’ve been eyeing off.
I did find myself wondering how many of the orchestra’s members have actually played these games or if they’ve formed any personal connection with them. Either way, it didn’t matter.
They brought the soundtracks to life with so much power and finesse that you’d swear they’d spent hours raiding dungeons or chasing villagers as a cheeky goose. Like a unique language that transcends the medium of gaming and music.
Considering the last time I was at Hamer Hall was probably my speech night for finishing school, it was delightful to wander back into that space and find it transformed by a crowd buzzing with the shared love of games and music.
Indie Symphony II felt like the perfect crossover, a celebration of how gaming’s best scores can stand proudly alongside the greats of classical music and leave you humming a tune all the way home.
Follow ORCHESTRA VICTORIA FOR MORE!
