Live Review: LCD Soundsystem, Andee Frost

Tonight's crowd look like extras from T2 Trainspotting on a big night out. As we take our seats, venue staff are cleaning up a vom in the stands (it's a bit early for that, wouldn't you think?) and Melbourne DJ Andee Frost is in the mix, wearing a gorgeous Vivienne Westwood-style Pharrell hat with feather trim. His selections are funky (as always) and set the scene for LCD Soundsystem.     

James Murphy arrives on stage preceded by at least eight backing players (that we can see). Those in the seated section ponder whether or not to stand and dance for LCD Soundsystem's swaggering opener Yr City's A Sucker, during which Murphy casually plays tambourine before flinging it in percussionist Pat Mahoney's direction. But we're catapulted to our feet the millisecond song two kicks in, because Daft Punk Is Playing At My House and Murphy plays (more) cowbell. Murphy's voice perfectly replicates this song's every nuance live and is even better the second time around; they played their 'final show' at Madison Square Garden in 2011, which was then released as a five-LP box set titled The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden, remember? Meh, no one cares, we're just rapt to have them back. LCD Soundsystem are all substance, no pretence, and Murphy rocks a white tie-dyed T-shirt that even the most slender of teens would struggle to pull off.

Nancy Whang's outfit of shiny, billowing blue jumpsuit and gold stilettos is everything — she quite simply oozes cool and we totally wanna be her as she effortlessly navigates her consoles and adds essential flourishes. The robotic undercurrent of Get Innocuous! calls to mind Out Of Control by The Chemical Brothers and this song's cacophonous breakdown threatens to blow our faces off. It certainly blows our minds and if you were tripping you could be forgiven for making a mad dash to first aid after thinking this intensification of sound was in your own head — the song's a total mind-fuck ("You will normalise/Don't it make you feel alive"). "We're very happy to be here," Murphy enthuses. "We're gonna play a couple of newer songs tonight and this is one of them." What follows is American Dream, a slow jam that features the lyrics, "You took acid and looked in the mirror". A noticeable amount of punters dash out of the arena for a toilet/drinks break during this song.  

Murphy compliments us because he doesn't see any smartphones out. When that distinctive Tribulations bass line kicks in we're putty, especially during this song's spectacular cranking guitar solo. Pat Mahoney's stage-left drum kit is angled inwards so that Murphy can grab a stick and bash away at it to add percussive touches as he so desires. When Murphy introduces the band, he turns to his left, pointing out, "and Pat just fucked off!" They're missing a drummer for a second, but then Mahoney returns just in the nick of time for Someone Great, which features skittish beats and glockenspiel echoing the chorus melody. There's a lot of swaying with eyes closed during this truly beautiful song: "When someone great is gooooone!"

We wonder whether Murphy will go there with the renaming Margaret Court Arena controversy and he certainly does: "I don't often get in the face of old people and tell them what to do... but let's rename this place!" Home follows, incorporating what we detect as a cheeky Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree riff inclusion at song's close.

Murphy apologises to the fans who find themselves in limited-view seats due to the massive speaker stacks he explains that his band require, encouraging them to "make friends" and squish in with strangers in better seats. "I'm gonna go pee and then we'll be back... you can pretend it's an encore if you want to," Murphy announces before main set closer New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down. A follow spot illuminates and Murphy looks up towards the ceiling and remarks, "Oh, shit! There's a person up there operating a light! Hi!" Various band members shield their faces as the blinding light takes them by surprise.

Back out on stage for their encore, Dance Yrself Clean starts slowly and Murphy's exaggerated delivery of this section makes us suspect he harbours a secret desire to be a musical theatre star, but once the song takes flight we're transported directly to the rave cave. Then the relentless All My Friends keys are like stabs to the heart (strings): "If I could see all my friends tonight" — such wistful bliss.

Wandering up the aisle toward the exit, we overhear punters asking each other, "What time do you have to get up tomorrow?" Geez, we are getting old!