Live Review: Arcadia: Day One

There was an insatiable curiosity that possessed visitors to Perth’s CBD as a menacing, metallic face loomed over Elizabeth Quay. As the sun started to set, we finally got our taste of what has been heralded as an evolution in dance music performance opportunities in its’ British homeland. 

A walk around the spider structure revealed many genius benefits to its’ design. A cosy booth in its’ belly accommodates no more than 2 or maybe 3 people, but the three legs tightly conceal many lighting effects. Atop each leg, a ‘Skill tester’ type claw whilst each of the three side bore two piercing light-eyes which gave the spider an often spine tingling character. So with three sides, nobody had a bad view. And quite incredibly, the sound was impeccable no matter where you danced. 

Perth’s own Boneflip (or Phillipe Kilpatrick to his mum), happily on loan from Ambar took the honour of becoming the first artist to perform from Arcadia’s belly, then Glaswegian Kovaxx launched a safe and steady deep house set. 

Liston simply asks “What’s up?” before starting his set with a dub-stepped version of early James Blake single CMYK. He gives a shout out to his dad who was watching proudly from below, and the spider’s legs start to awaken, giving the first delicious teases of the delights that will be delivered after dark. 

Next was a performance of a Nyungar dance, the Yallor Keeninyarra in a performance on the dance floor under the belly of the spider which called upon the Wadjuk spider of Garrgatup (or Kings’ Park) to weave a web of peace between nations. Quite spellbinding, it is this point one becomes aware of the pleasing cultural and age diversities represented in the audience. The invitation by the dancers at the end to join them on the floor lead to Black & Blunt commandeering the dance floor with a set packed full of early 90’s rave classics and guilty pleasures. Shut Up & Dance’s The Bouncer? Why not! Renegade Master and Daft Punk’s Aerodymanic? Most definitely! 

Lords Of Lightning’s performance art was as dangerous-looking as it was mesmerising. Two blokes in electricity conductive suits standing atop pedestals Gladiators style, Pummelling each other with visible electricity bolts. The routine only lasted five minutes (which would be repeated twice later) but nobody could take their eye off them for a second. 

Smoke poured from the spider’s legs as a voice track that wouldn’t have been amiss from an Independence Day movie forewarned of the discovery and general “They’re fucked”-ness of Earth as Arcadia’s own Landing Show officially and dramatically provided a backstory. Robotic arms reached out from the giant legs and dropped three acrobatic performers (dressed as spider-aliens) who twirled and intimidated from above before snatching a human to violently subdue, then cocoon in a ‘web’ before that human emerged as a spider alien themselves. An arachnophobes horrific nightmare come true, it was quite the spectacle that the awestruck revellers perhaps didn’t expect but delighted in. 

Back for a second visit down under this year, Leftfield (or at least the last remaining member Neil Barnes) took to the spider for a DJ set which only featured a smack of his own stuff (Song Of Life and Afro Left) though quite why the audience saw fit to chant “Whoomp - there it is!” during Phat Planet was bizarre. Barnes’ meted out a solid tech-house set which while reigning in any ‘big hitters’ kept the masses shapeshifting with gusto. 

Andre Wiliams (aka Shy FX) rounded off the evening by a massive DJ set which managed to travel the world and genres in the flash of towering flames that spewed from atop the spiders’ head. Dawn Penn’s reggae classic You Don’t Love Me (No No No), rubbed shoulders with dancehall-ravers SL2 and Bob Marley. The whistlestop pace of the mixes just compounded the hedonistic and happy vibes of a truly diverse audience. 

Rave technology has come a long way since glow sticks and whistle-posses. Arcadia succeeded in feeling like total sensory emersion. It’s exciting to think of the possibilities it may open up.