After touring constantly for 12 months, Darren Hayes is about to release a stunning live concert DVD of his most ambitious and critically acclaimed concert tour to date: The Time Machine Tour.

Quietly selling out London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall (fact check, how many Australians have done this?) Hayes audaciously toured a show that had more in common with Pink Floyd than Australian Idol.

The show, designed by legendary U2 and Rolling Stones designer Willie Williams featured, amongst other things, a 24 foot animatronic steel and neon origami bird and set pieces straight from a Jules Verne novel.

The DVD marks the completion of a project that has seen Hayes graduate from pop star to label head and CEO of his own independent record company.

A year before the likes of Radiohead decided to snub major label EMI, Hayes had announced plans to go it alone via his own label Powdered Sugar – releasing his double album ‘This Delicate Thing We’ve Made’ with little fanfare.   Just great songs, intricate art piece music videos and a blistering live band.

Accountants, managers and suits and ties advised him against spending so much of his own money on such a show. But Hayes famously ignored them and took the elaborate production all over the UK and Australia.  The DVD was shot in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, on the final night of the tour.

‘This was the tour I’ve always dreamed of.   Bowie and Peter Gabriel made the blueprint for this type of rock theatre – and although it sounds morbid, doing a show like this was one of my ‘before I die’ wishes.   I simply had to do something like this once in my life and I couldn’t think of a better moment than this period to try’ Hayes said.

Costume design stitched by makers from the Royal Shakespeare Company and set pieces by the folks who put U2 in a Lemon and George Michael in front of the largest video screen ever built – the show was a spectacle that had to be seen to be believed.

In late October, 2007, GenQ was fortunate enough to see this concert live in Melbourne, and was far from disappointed!  Read the original review here.

This DVD is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who is a fan of Darren Hayes.  Believe me, you will treasure it forever! A Deluxe Version is available exclusively through Darren Hayes' website from July 1, and the Standard Version will be in stores from July 19.  The Deluxe Version features the full concert presented in a gorgeous fold out 4 panel box. Includes a 32 page colour booklet with notes from Darren and over 300 exclusive tour photos. Strictly limited to a run of 2000. Also included is access to an online gallery of all of the photographs in hi-resolution. Each purchase enters you into a competition to attend the "Family and Friends" screening of the film in London on June 13 (for terms and contidions, see darrenhayes.com).

Tracklisting:

1. Introduction
2. The Future Holds A Lion's Heart
3. Who Would Have Thought
4. Waking The Monster
5. How To Build A Time Machine
6. Neverland
7. Insatiable
8. On The Verge Of Something Wonderful
9. Listen All You People
10. The Best Thing
11. The Only One
12. Void
13. Darkness
14. Step Into The Light
15. I Like The Way
16. Words
17. Casey
18. So Beautiful
19. I Want You
20. Affirmation
21. Me Myself & I
22. The Great Big Disconnect

Tags: Darren Hayes