Live Review: Alt-J, Snakadaktal, City Calm Down

Walking toward Festival Hall there is already a throng of people milling around under the glitzy lights at the entrance. The transition from the freezing Melbourne evening to the warm, dense interior is surprisingly pleasant and we are able to take our jackets off as we make our way up to the balcony. Arriving halfway through City Calm Down's set, there is already a hoard of enthusiastic punters swanning around the front of the stage. The crowd continues to swell as the Melbourne-based band waltz through their set, which culminates in their buzz single, Pleasure And Consequence. Unearthed High winners Snakadaktal also do a fantastic job of keeping the crowd excited for Alt-J.

As the lights dim, a cheer erupts from the crowd. Punters could be forgiven for mistakenly imagining they are at the wrong gig though as the English quartet walk on stage to the sounds of rapper Tyga's anthem Rack City. The fans roar and then fall eerily silent before the band launch into their debut album An Awesome Wave's Intro. They cruise through their album, playing Breezeblocks, Tessellate and Something Good in quick succession. The bass reverberates throughout the packed-out stadium for Fitzpleasure, as the crowd surges to the front in a barely controlled frenzy. The band pause momentarily for a, “Good evening, Melbourne,” before continuing their near-perfect set. To the delight of the crowd they cover Kylie Minogue's Slow (mashed up with Dr Dre and as such titled Slow Dre), explaining to the enthralled audience that this song always seems to be a favourite at their Australian shows.

The acoustics in this venue are perfect for the show, and Joe Newman's ethereal vocals seem to echo around the hall. Bloodflood is the catalyst for hundreds of phones simultaneously being raised into the air as the gig draws to a close. After a set as consistently brilliant as this one, there is no chance Alt-J are not playing an encore. The crowd are in a frenzy by the time the band saunter back onto the stage. College (ft Electric Youth) cover A Real Hero and Taro round out an incredible performance. Judging by the reception they receive tonight, it surely won't be long before we see Alt-J back in Melbourne.