Live Review: Flight Facilities, Haiku Hands

The sold-out Flight Facilities show came with high expectations. For many years this Sydney dance duo, made up of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell, have been among the top players of Australia's dance music scene - from the big house electro days of the Modular era, which yielded contemporaries like The Presets, Bag Raiders, Cut Copy, through to the newer bass and trap scenes with Flume, What So Not and Peking Duk. All the while they have maintained their slick, chic and undeniably high-quality output without becoming dated or, perhaps more accurately, losing their appeal.

Along for the ride were Haiku Hands, a high-energy, highly charismatic four-piece who transcend the role of the musicians with their dance moves and aesthetically amazing costumes. The bright orange outfits, visors and baggy parachute pants were mesmerising, and the coordinated but not over-the-top dance moves were fantastic. For the most part the songs weren't particularly catchy or memorable, aside from a magnificent unreleased track that dares "you not to dance" and was as infectious as it gets.

Taking to their elevated platform in their iconic vintage pilot costumes, Flight Facilities kicked off their show with crisp, pumping production and solid recent single, I Need You. Singer Owl Eyes was the perfect fit for the tour, her silky voice adding yearning and sass to different tracks. Her confident stage presence allowed her to be a greater focus than the two producers. The dark on stage colours and silhouettes allowed for a sharp minimalist aesthetic overall that worked well with the sharp production, also making the venue seem like a giant nightclub at times.

Flight Facilities excel at a brand of classically understated '00s electro house, which gives them a good base to branch out into things like '70s-style disco, at one point including gorgeous strings samples, while the four to the floor rhythms also gave Lyell the space to whip out a Stratocaster and do some great live shredding. He did this on multiple occasions, adding a special touch at different points throughout the night.

In terms of quality of output over a sustained period, there are few dance music acts that can match the consistency of Flight Facilities. When they dropped Sunshine it sounded sublime, Owl Eyes pitch perfect and the guitar solo adding another textural element. The exquisite Clair De Lune got a huge reception, with Owl Eyes' flickering vocals and the hum of the production melting into each other. Foreign Language was flawless, again demonstrated their knack for solid '00s house jams before their cover of Jamiroquai's You Give Me Something. Tour single All Your Love was a bit mediocre in comparison with their other singles, but with the range of great tracks on show, it hardly mattered. Perhaps the song that capped off the night was the incredible Arty Boy, with another highly catchy chorus. Unique, dirtier mix of Crave You finished off an amazing night that rates among the best dance shows of the year in Adelaide.