Live Review: Chrome Sparks - Oxford Art Factory

Chrome Sparks are faultless. For their debut performance in Australia, Oxford Art Factory transformed into a sensory den of pure madness and joy, with main man Jeremy Malvin announcing that it felt like “a real homecoming”. Opening with a slow beat-driven crescendo that only increased the anxious anticipation in the room crammed to maximum capacity, the Chrome lads launched into their EP title track, Goddess, with explosive ferocity. Not limited to sound, the bass produced spine tingling pulses through the lower level revelers, while the strobe and backlit stage was a visual display of unrelenting musical passion from Malvin and co.

Drummer Aaron Steele smashed his kit with eerily accurate precision that raised hairs on the back of the neck while Bill Delelles on some kind of electric xylophone/synth combo was the riot grrl of the night with energy to spare. But these boys aren’t all about the beats. Leading into Send The Pain On and Enter The Chrome Forest, one could almost hear the faint sounds of fans swooning at the complex layers of sampling interwoven with a dreamscape of subtle lyricism and instrumentalisation.

In a set full of feet-stompers, the biggest hit of the night was unarguably Marijuana. Their most well-known jam began to cheers of jubilation and quickly developed into a serious head bopper that had the entirety of Oxford Art jumping. The devastation following their departure from the stage led to warbled drunken screaming and stage thumping from front row fans, as cries for an encore got increasingly desperate.

Thankfully, Malvin and co returned for one more whirl of the synth and produced the best performance of the entire set with an unrecognisable drum-laden, heart-pounding finale that left the crowd sweaty and heaving for breath. Chrome Sparks could only be compared to the likes of Hermitude, French house masters Justice or Brit-beat legend Aphex Twin. But really, these guys are in a league of their own and it’s safe to surmise that it won’t be long before the rest of Australia catches on and adopts them with the fervor of a child with a double scoop sundae.