Live Review: Fifth Floor Warehouse Party

After a big lead-up and an advanced sell-out, Tetris – the up-until-recently secret venue for Fifth Floor's warehouse party – is abuzz with the quirky members of Melbourne's psych-rock, stoner and general hippy fruitcake scene. The narrow venue is decked out like a dark circus tent, with colourful images projected onto curtains covering walls and ceiling, while a mix of dry ice and smokiness provides a hazy, intimate vibe. Meanwhile, an adjacent room features club music, more projections and speckled light effects, functioning as a kind of 'recovery room' away from the main action.

Jangly two-piece The Octopus Ride boast groovy frontman Vlad Chant, who resembles Jack Sparrow in visual style but Lou Reed in vocals. They impress the now-growing crowd with warm, overdriven guitars to create airy, treble-heavy psych rock, which is complimented by the massive cloud of dry ice being unleashed into the space.

Strangers From Now On prove to be an impressive live act who play grinding, bass-driven stoner rock. Lead vocalist and guitarist Gabriel Santos' smooth, hypnotic voice pierces through the dark set with melodic precision. The four-piece seem to marry elements of Sonic Youth's Evol with the slow brooding of Portishead. The frantic laser effects and appreciative shouting accompanying the set signify a shift in the mood of the night towards a more bustling intensity. The penultimate act is shoegaze four-piece Flyying Colours. They open with their single Wavygravy, which immediately conveys the rich, wall-of-sound psychedelica that this band does best and which dominates the rest of their set. Their bass hooks and dreamy melodies recall those of psych-rock forefathers, Ride.

Genre-bending headliners for the evening, The Murlocs play their unique brand of folkedelica with its bluesy twang to finish the night. From the get-go they're accompanied by two hula chicks go-go dancing onstage – whether or not they're official is unclear. Although frontman Ambrose Kenny Smith's vocals are quite striking – they could be easily mistaken for Karen O's – tonight the band's set seems a little samey, perhaps due to the unusual acoustics or the lively horde of ecstatic onlookers.

For those so inclined, the adjacent room has been much less packed throughout the second half of the night. With its hip-hop music now lending itself to a dance-friendly atmosphere, it offers a great alternative to the crowded main stage area.