Live Review: alt-J, Warpaint

It has already been a huge weekend for music in Brisbane and now, as if simultaneous gigs by '60s legends Sir Paul McCartney and Yusuf Islam wasn't already enough, we are being treated to a double-bill by two of the most exciting bands of recent years. The old adage, when it rains it pours, has rarely been truer.

It's an ideal evening for a open-air concert and by the time Warpaint arrive, shortly after sunset, the weather conditions have reached their optimum. With a gentle breeze cooling the atmosphere, the LA-based quartet's moody rock begins to wash over the hillside, lulling the audience into its dreamy, rhythmic trance. The title track of last year's Heads Up kicks things off, then we are soon back-tracking to the band's beginnings with long-time live-favourite Elephants. New arrivals still come spilling over the crest and by the time the intoxicating grooves of So Good ring out, the venue is near capacity. Warpaint continue to weave their aural spells with a few more blissful numbers and, before we know it, they're wrapping things up with the impressive set-closer Disco//very. "Enjoy the rest of your beautiful evening with your beautiful selves!" It feels all too short, but the sweetness of this taster lingers long into the night.

A hurried changeover catches many in the bar lines by surprise and the stage comes alive with oscillating, purple lights, looking as if it's about to take off on some kind of interdimensional voyage. alt-J subtly ease us into Relaxer realms with the gorgeous, slow-burning opener, 3WW. By this song's conclusion they have drawn us deep into the folds of their musical world and from here they take us on a spellbinding tour through various sonic terrains, building intensity along the way. Something Good, Interlude I and Tessellate guide us through the first majestic ripples of An Awesome Wave, and Deadcrush continues the reach into new territories, each as impressive as the song that came before it. For a band who were so consistently disappointing on their first tour, it's a real marvel how consistently astonishing they are in nearly every moment now. Not only is their sound about as near to perfection as one could hope for, but also their visual presentation is among the most effective currently going around. Each sonic element is translated into luminous movements, which dance up and down seven LED screens and a vast number of vertical structures, which divide the space into incandescent compartments. The effect is mesmerising and hits you with awe-inducing force, wave after wave.

They skip around their three major bodies of work with Nara, In Cold Blood and Dissolve Me, showing off their flair for dynamism and diversity with each focused step, and then pass singing duties to the all-too-eager crowd for the opening lines of Matilda. Until two weeks ago, Hunger Of The Pine hadn't featured on the setlist for the Relaxer tour, but luckily for us they've brought it back just in time, its dark composition slowly uncoiling to invite the most pleasantly pervasive presence into the space. The Gospel Of John Hurt follows further down the shadowed corridors of This Is All Yours and Bloodflood lingers before Every Other Freckle brings a bit of bounce back into their steps. The bases are loaded and they bring them all home with a stunning one-two-three finale of Taro, Pleader and Fitzpleasure. Pleader is a real surprise highlight, making more sense in its live incarnation, and this more severe focus brings light to Relaxer as a whole, further revealing it in a more realised context.

After a very brief departure, alt-J return to the stage with Intro, and then fill out the encore with fan-favourites Left Hand Free and Breezeblocks. The entire hillside loses itself in these last throes of excitement, and finally Bee Gees' Staying Alive comes blaring out of the speaker stacks to send us off grinning and dancing deeper into the night. The perfect complement to what was already a phenomenal weekend of live music and one that will likely be remembered for many years to come.