Live Review: alt-J, New Gods

New Gods, the new project from ex-Little Red, Eagle & The Worm and Ground Components members, opened the evening with their new crop of indie-pop tunes. The Little Red influence has definitely rubbed off on these new tracks, and though the five-piece thoroughly entertained, they've got a long way to go before they can be commended for a tight and pristine set.

Playing to a sold out crowd at the first of alt-J's two-show Australian showcase, the four-piece played it relatively safe, leaving this reviewer a little underwhelmed.

The hypnotic vocals of Joe Newman's is as exquisite live as it is heard on CD, and coupled with Gus Unger-Hamilton's harmonies that weaved in and out of a capella fed the crowd with insanity. Their confidence and comfort onstage began to swell mid-set when they unleashed the epic mash-up cover of Kylie Minogue's Slow and Dr. Dre's Still Dre – a surprising slow jam that typifies their unique approach to music making.

Their genuine nature as artists and gratefulness shone through as Newman and Unger-Hamilton exchanged a number of smiles, shaking their heads  in disbelief at the crowd's word-for-word singalongs. They were undeniably chuffed to be performing for us, even claiming, “I don't think we've ever had a reaction like this before.”

There were a number of charming elements to the alt-J live show, but some of the stronger moments on the record sadly fell short. In particular, the percussive explosion heard on Bloodflood – which is such a pivotal moment in the song – fell a little behind the beat losing its credibility as the backbone of the song. Thom Green is an exceptional drummer nonetheless, hitting every type of complex beat from the trip hop of Intro to the marching snare of Matilda.

The rich strumming heard on Taro also started off a little weak and wobbly, losing that immediate connection with listeners, and lacked the depth we've grown to love the closer track for. The most fascinating aspect of the show, however, was the way Gwil Sainsbury recreated the sitar sound; by bouncing a roll of double sided adhesive tape on the strings of an electric guitar. Genius.

alt-J are well on the way to stardom, but will hopefully learn not to hold back as much on stage, take the reins and deliver a more energetic live show to live up to their phenomenal debut.