Live Review: Flight Facilities, Alice Ivy

Flight Facilities

Alice Ivy (aka Annika Schmarsel) is the perfect support act to get the party started tonight for this special homecoming. Her energetic performance with dreamy textures of electro-funk and soul gives us just the boost we need on this Tuesday night. The place is vibing in no time and the crowd moves along to the rhythmic, pulsating beats thanks to Schmarsel's charming, atmospheric songs from her debut album I'm Dreaming. Not only is her lively performance exciting to hear, but Schmarsel also keeps us fully engaged as she moves back and forth between musical instruments while simultaneously thrashing her guitar. Schmarsel then asks us to get dirty for a big drop towards the end of Get Me A Drink, before letting loose and bouncing around the stage to a few remixed choruses of NERD & Rihanna's Lemon.

We prepare for take-off as Flight Facilities welcome us aboard with the recorded Intro from their debut album. Rocking their signature pilot attire, Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell are positioned behind a console of controls, ready to take us on a journey up into the sky. A new AutoTuned, electro-heavy dance track commences the in-flight entertainment, followed by Stranded featuring new guest vocalists including Grace Pitts and Ric Rufio. Together, they add a fresh and exciting element to the live performance as Gruzman and Lyell smoothly navigate us through all of their hits. Rufio delivers some sleek, soulful vocals for a cover of Drake's Passionfruit, while Pitts takes the lead with a sublime falsetto on Stand Still. Our captains also build in rising instrumentals to elevate us higher and higher.

Guzman tells us they're gonna do something special and then they play an unreleased song that we're told has never been performed live before. Flight Facilities then introduce Dustin Tebbutt to the stage to perform a new track. Tebbutt starts off the song on his acoustic guitar - accompanying those gorgeous, soft and tender vocals - and then builds up to an explosive, emotive chorus. There's no word on when this song will be released, but there's no doubt it's set to be another huge hit for Flight Facilities. The bass kicks in for With You and then they throw in a few nostalgic flashbacks including the dance-heavy track Flawless by The Ones. Impressive strobe lighting enhances the momentum of tonight's show and swirls around the duo during a remixed version of Heart Attack, which quickly transitions into their latest single Need You. The non-stop set includes a clever sample from Pure Imagination from the original Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory film that leads us into their own mesmerising track Clair De Lune.

After admitting it's been "way too long" between Melbourne shows, Lyell gushes, "I don't mean to blow smoke up your ass, but nobody parties like you," before considering this might be due to "the lock-out bullshit elsewhere". Flight Facilities then propel us towards the finish line with their biggest hits, including Foreign Language and Two Bodies. The sound of horns signals their final track Crave You, which includes a few choruses of Donna Summer's disco classic I Feel Love - a song Gruzman says he hopes represents this night as it much it does Flight Facilities. It's our last chance to get down really low and then jump up in unison for a huge finish. "It's good to be back and this is just the beginning," Lyell concludes. Although it seems like Flight Facilities would happily play all night long, sadly it's time for us to return back to earth and disembark from this first-class experience.