Live Review: Andy Stott, Craig McElhinney, Lower Spectrum,THGIEWDAED

Receiving an enviable and practically unheard of '5/5' for his performances from the world's highest esteemed online electronic music magazine, Resident Advisor, Andy Stott's presence on Australia's shores was truly a spectacle not to be missed. Supported by our very own strongest local frontrunners representing everything strange and broken, Perth expertly laid down the perfect foundations for our ominous international with skill and sludge. “Expect closed doors, utter darkness, and rain, thunder, and misery pumped through the club sound system”, was the accurate forecasting of the night's unfolding by event curators I.C.S.S.C.

The Deadweight boys roguishly reversed their name for the occasion, playing under the THGIEWDAED moniker, the duo toyed with some milder and oftentimes darker sounds than we're typically used to: a suitable shift in flavour for the night's proceedings. Lower Spectrum's performance began with a prolonged and almost inaudible wavering drone, finally broken by the scattering of the sporadic and rapid hi-hats of breakcore. Having recently made the switch from Melburnian to Perthite, it's a genuine pleasure to consider young talent Ned Beckley as a local now, and we can be sure to expect more raw inventiveness from the modest electronic producer. The highly palatable glitchy and wonky frequencies of Craig McElhinney reverberated around the dim surroundings of the Bakery before styles were flipped on their head to create some slightly more straightforward house rhythms.

Agonising and sincerely terrifying death metal vocals infused with a drawn-out and brooding synth line signalled the start of Andy Stott's performance. Similarly disturbing vibrations resounded temporarily, before the cataclysmic kick drum and haunting vocals of Numb washed intensely over the audience, taking things into a more dance-oriented direction. Having an incredible knack for eclecticism, Stott somehow manages to maintain the lucid and unsettling soundscapes that are undeniably Stott's unique production. This definitely rang true for his performance, drastically changing tempos and even entire genres with seamless continuity and prowess. Minimal house glided masterfully into the squelchy sounds of acid techno and dispersed breakbeat patterns, which evolved into Stott's own take on garage and even Chicago footwork. The night didn't provide anything that could be considered conventionally danceable or even necessarily pleasant for that matter, but somehow achieved both with unprecedented ease and inimitability.