Live Review: Purity Ring 170 Russell

27 July 2015 | 2:15 pm | Michael Prebeg

"A visual and sensory experience unlike anything we've ever encountered before explodes before our eyes and ears."

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The stage is lined with beaded threads dangling from the ceiling that surround a fortress of geometric prism lanterns. As Purity Ring begin to play, a visual and sensory experience unlike anything we've ever encountered before explodes before our eyes and ears. Every intricate bead ignites into an LED light, all soon bursting with illuminated colour and pulsing to the beat of each song like a constellation of stars in the night sky. It's the second and final sold-out show tonight and they're pulling out all the stops to impress.

Pint-sized vocalist Megan James moves through the illuminated setting and her sweet and gentle,  slightly Auto-Tuned vocals intertwine with Corin Roddick's electronic sound production full of synthesisers and trap beats. Roddick remains centre stage, confined within the fort as he crafts a futuristic ambience by interacting with the surrounding lanterns that glow at his touch.

Together the duo push the boundaries of light and sound as they create intense textural layers of electronic atmospherics filled with reverb-soaked, jittery beats and surging melodies to lure us in. Their immersive production has a theatrical effect and overwhelms us with energetic peaks and hypnotic movement to match the flickering strobe lights. The lights transition into different patterns and colours to suit the mood of each song for maximum effect.

The hauntingly beautiful juxtaposition of light and shade of the digital production, combined with emotionally charged lyrics, comes together and balances out perfectly. There are moments when we almost feel like we've been transported to another planet as the duo conjure up an intoxicating otherworldly setting.

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They continue to surprise and delight with their collection of innovative technology and equipment. Towards the end of Bodyache James makes her way up above the cental fort to bang the hanging circular panel that lights up like a bright golden sun high above the stage. On the mid-tempo Sea Castle, piano-inspired sounds stream out of a futuristic instrument that emits a spotlight on impact.

Just before midnight James announces that they don't play encores because to them "socially it doesn't make sense" so they let us know that Begin Again will be their last song. With arms outstretched, James falls into the sea of moshpit hands that holds her up as she floats over the audience for the final chorus.