Live Review: Flight Facilities, The Kite String Tangle

Flight Facilities’ schedule has been unrelenting this year. After exploring the country with Groovin The Moo Festival including a bunch of sold-out sideshows, the electronic duo of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell recently decided to take flight again, scheduling a string of shows at some of the country’s most iconic venues for their All Your Love tour. Saturday night saw Fremantle host the Sydney producers for a memorable night of shimmering dance numbers.

Walking into Fremantle Arts Centre, it’s apparent why the venue has emerged as one of Perth’s favourite music settings with its amphitheatre-esque rear and rolling, open frontage catering to every style of concert-goer.

Brisbane producer The Kite String Tangle brought the first phase of musical goodness on the night, delivering an emotive but dance-friendly set complete with live instrumentation. Strong renditions of album cuts Selfish and The Prize saw the crowd at their liveliest, while a hard-hitting remix to the unanimously adored Fat Boy Slim track, Praise You, saw the set end on a buzzing high.

Before long it was Flight Facilities’ turn to don the stage and tame the feverish crowd. The Sydney boys quickly obliged, emerging in their traditional pilot outfits as they opened with their massive recent single Need You. Following this energetic start, the ensuing set followed the traditional style of Flight Facilities shows, progressively building the tempo of the night to an erupting finale. This finale featured incredible performances of the impassioned Clair De Lune, frolicsome new single All Your Love, and the beloved Crave You.

Backed by a visually impressive five-screen stage and with support from a number of guest vocalists including ex-Australian Idol finalist Owl Eyes, the electronic duo lived up to their incredibly high live benchmark. The set’s only missteps came in the form of periodic speaker cut outs, somewhat forgivable given the early stage in the tour.

Peculiarly deciding to buck the industry trend of releasing full-length albums and instead deciding to drop periodic singles and focus on touring, Flight Facilities seem to be onto a winner. Despite the fact that disappointingly long amenity and bar lines may have marred the night for some punters, the quality of the entertainment was never in question.