Live Review: Kirin J Callinan

Swimming between the flag and a Moog, Shags Chamberlain warms up the crowd by spinning up a pretty chill set in the swank surrounds of Grace Darling. Looking like a spaced-out surf lifesaver, Shags serves up an eclectic selection of classic pop that sends waves of orchestral sounds crashing on the shore. It's an agreeable musical interlude with an easy vibe that has the urbane punters drinking and socialising while keeping an ear out for the delightfully smooth grooves.

Shags provides a deceptively calm start to the evening and a rather mild-mannered Kirin J Callinan follows, modestly plugging in effect units and guitars. Tonight Callinan comes without the adornment of a band and he goes it solo with just a sampler, effects and (of course) guitars. “Let's start with something older,” he says, introducing Thighs with dreamy glittering chords. It soon gives way to controlled spasms of loud, violent noise that lends a sense of desperation to the darkly romantic lyrics etched out in Callinan's gravelly croon. While the delivery feels imperfect, there is conviction in his voice that makes tonight's performance compelling. It is almost a flowery start to a set that quickly sinks into a disturbed squall of noise that, seething with angst, is a descent into an altogether more forbidding zone. Strobe lights strategically placed around the band room flicker with dazzling intensity as Callinan simply slides out of control. Crude and rude electronic sequences provide a kind of rough and distorted prehistoric techno into which Callinan goes into battle on guitar. The volume is deafening and Callinan's vocals are barely audible in the mix. Showcasing new material from his long-overdue debut album Embracism, Callinan seems more restless and angry than ever before. There is tension and drama unfolding in these songs but the largely hipster audience seem unfazed. Chardonnay Sean offers a tender remembrance of tragic events before the testosterone-fuelled Embracism, which features Callinan sneering and scowling vaguely homoerotic reflections of masculinity at us in a thick Aussie accent. Much like the rest of the set, it feels claustrophobic, vulgar and unsettling.

It is still a couple of months before we can expect to hear the much-anticipated Embracism in full, but tonight gives us a clear indication that it will be intense-but-rewarding listening.