Live Review: NO ZU

Tonight the illustrious David Hockney is NO ZU's support act, providing them with an exhibition of his most current work. But if you crave seeing those famous paintings of boys in swimming pools, then the major retrospective of his work at Tate Britain is where you need to head. NGV have curated a fascinating look at what Hockney is up to in the supposed twilight years of his late 70s. On all accounts he seems to be more prolific than ever, churning out new work at what seems to be a frantic rate. Finger painting on a smartphone and tablet is the technological enabler that has Hockney producing literally hundreds of these digital paintings. Initially it feels overwhelming and perhaps even disposable. It starts to make more sense as we move through rooms where larger print-outs of landscapes are more spaciously spread out on the walls. Much like his paintings of water in Californian swimming pools, Hockney has a talent for capturing the essence of what he sees in simple squiggles of colour. Painting since the '60s, it is Hockney's understanding of colour and light that allows him to sketch up some amazing work on technology that most of us can access. Reassuringly, he has not left the paints behind and the multi-panel Bigger Trees Near Warter is an awe-inspiring treat as are the astonishing array of portraits he has recently completed (allowing himself just three days to finish each one).

Nicolaas Oogjes and his party-starting gang of merry minstrels take full control of NGV to get everyone in the house bumping to the trademarked sounds of what they have been calling "heat beat". In reality, there has always been a touch of New York about NO ZU, who push out an energetic sound that connects no wave with disco, house and funk in ways that might put a smile on James Murphy's face. It's a mix that teems with exotic influences, packing plenty of punch for those looking for dancefloor kicks. Tonight there seem to be an obvious Talking Heads feel about things, but Daphne Camf and Becky Sui Zhen add a subtle Tom Tom Club vibe to the mix. The shirtless bass player, wearing a trench coat, looks like might have played with Prince's The Revolution all those years ago. Oogjes — in black PVC — apart from looking pretty stylish, brings to mind some of the mythical nightclubs of NYC whose seedy past is now legendary. Playing extended jams of just a handful of songs, NO ZU approximate a kind of Day-Glo urban tribalism that is awash with vibrant colours and a seeming inexhaustible energy. As they take us from Life to Afterlife, NO ZU revel without pause and it is pure pagan pleasure-seeking hedonism at its best.