Live Review: Miami Horror, Young Franco, Joy, Cleopold

Saturday night traditionally carries with it the promise of dancing until the wee hours of the morning, infinitely endless possibilities and dancing in dark rooms with strangers while coloured lights invade your senses. That said, Miami Horror's show at the Adelaide Uni Bar encompassed all that we love about these evenings, and more. 

Cleopold were up first, pushing out a neat little set despite a fire alarm causing the entire room to evacuate and putting a slight downer on the vibe.

Breathy, ethereal vocals filled the room accompanied by some rather impressive beats as 17-year-old JOY took her spot centre stage. A crowd gathered closer, the music enticing them towards her to absorb the energy. 

The assembled group wasn't enough for Young Franco, who opened his set with, "Let's all bring it forward, let's warm it up." Nevertheless, the producer still managed to pump out some attractive beats that revived the dancer in all of us. 

"They remind me of a really bad wedding band," was a first impression of Australian Indie-electronica outfit Miami Horror, who carry with them an air of mischief and anticipation. What followed, however, was hardly a daggy performance by a B-grade '80s cover band. Instead it was a crazily entertaining whirlwind of synth, fluoro lights and male falsetto.

Miami Horror utilised the small stage space well, gazing across the crowd that had pulled itself in from outside, ditching the ciggies in favour of a boogie. After a few warm-up songs, the band and the audience both relaxed into the evening.

A mixture of brightly coloured shapes reminiscent of an '80s pop video was projected onto the back wall. The visuals complemented the eclectic sounds and onstage acrobatics of band members, who took it upon themselves to swing from the rafters, dry-hump speakers and climb onto the highest surfaces in the room.

Long musical interludes dulled the vibe a bit, though, the audience clearly preferring to groove along to hits like Real Slow and recent single Love Like Mine instead. The vibe spiked as the band returned with old favourite Sometimes and teased the end of the set with indie-banger Holidays. Another All Possible Futures track Wild Motion (Set it Free) was a suitable closer.

While the technicalities of the band's performance may not have been spot on — they created a fluctuating, detached energy between themselves and the crowd — credit definitely has to be given in terms of entertainment. For a night, all was so beautifully weird and nothing hurt.