Live Review: alt-J, Warpaint

The International Convention Centre celebrated everything experimental and exploratory last Saturday with superb performances from two bands pushing today's creative envelope.

First up was LA group Warpaint. From their opening tune Heads Up through to the end, the four-piece maintained an air of heavy, reverb-dense guitar chords that Aussie drummer Stella Mozgawa expertly paired with her hard-hitting beats. Their group vocals - something both acts would use to great effect - provided a dreamy harmony that offset the hard-hitting ferocity of their music. Ultimately, Warpaint established an otherworldly atmosphere, which was fitting given tonight's overall ethereal feel.

This otherworldly atmosphere spilt over into the spooky, Hans Zimmer-esque synth sounds that excited the young, packed crowd into welcoming alt-J onto the stage. Lead man Joe Newman wasted no time playing the hopping guitar riff from 3WW to get things started.

With the curtains pulled back and the full stage revealed, it was clear - judging by the intricate light stage design - that the British lads were keen on using all the space available to them. They lived up to this by blasting lights in every direction, with accompanying colour palettes setting the mood for each track. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle to behold. 

Something Good picked up the pace and got the pit grooving. Drummer Thom Green's nonuse of cymbals in his drum kit - opting instead for a plethora of more worldly sounding percussions -  gave this song, and plenty of others, an engaging and distinct sound. This subversion of typical alt-rock instrumentation allowed alt-J to blend elements from various genres to suit their unconventional style.

All the fan favourite tracks came out to play, with only three songs from their latest release RELAXER getting a spin. Oldies Taro and Matilda produced some of the bigger singalongs of the night, while Fitzpleasure and The Gospel Of John Hurt felt like stadium rock bangers thanks to their loud intensity.

Newman and keys player Gus Unger-Hamilton shared mic duties throughout the night with minimal between-song chat as the band played incessantly. A raucous performance of Left Hand Free and a euphoric singalong to their breakthrough release Breezeblocks capped off the night.

Alt-J succeeded in fusing together a number of creative elements to put on a cohesive, niche-sounding, art-filled powerhouse of a performance. Positivity echoed out the doors as punters immediately raved and reflected on a show that became instantly memorable.