Live Review: Cosmo's Midnight, Muto, Fresh Hex, Take Your Time

The Howler stage is a blank canvas at the mercy of a lighting show to create tonight's scenery. As attendees filter into the venue, they are greeted by smooth, falsetto vocals and folky dance music courtesy of Melbourne duo Take Your Time. But it's DJ Fresh Hex that really readies punters with his classic Melbourne house music. He plays in between each support act, keeping the crowd suspended in a state in hyped anticipation. The sold-out venue is starting to fill up when electronic music producer Muto hits the decks. Amid his pop-inspired, heavy-bass dance music, the Sydney-based producer indulges in nostalgia with this '90s-raised audience via a remix of Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around... Comes Around. Momentarily, though, we are reminded of the risk and spontaneity in live performance when Muto experiences technical difficulties, which bring his set to a temporary halt. His seamless transition afterwards totally redeems Muto's performance, however. 

Piercing white noise infiltrates the blackout on stage. The Cosmo's Midnight twins (Cosmo and Patrick Liney) return home after a string of international festival dates and they look comfortable up there on stage. The duo's signature R&B features heavy, electronic house beats that slowly rise to a crescendo, crashing into another classic '90s remix: Say My Name by Destiny's Child. Everyone finds room to dance, smoothly and in sync with one another.

We are treated to a preview of new music from Cosmo's Midnight, which blends a smooth tribal sound with their ode to classic R&B. It's almost as if they know their audience has reached tipping point, because the music fades out and the pair look down at us, teasing, "You might know this one". History, this tour's title song, descends over the crowd and we all know every word. A groovy, synthesised bass beat underpins the song's message, which explores the volatile history of a relationship, and takes the crowd up and down with every scale of the emotional spectrum. The Liney brothers knowingly pander to our needs with every recognisable hit at their disposal.

They choose to close the night with Walk With Me. During this light, pop-inflected tune, stomach-churning vibrations can be felt even at the back of the room. Those bodies sat comfortably at the tables at the rear of this venue can't resist joining in and dance like no one's watching. But just because the boys say they've finished doesn't mean this crowd is done. Even though the twins seem unprepared, they are thrilled by the chance to play one more song: "We're gonna play the track that literally got us on the map!" As such, Cosmo's Midnight leave us with their banging remix of Flume's Sleepless. And when the house lights flood the dancefloor, no one among us wants to say goodbye.