Live Review: oOoOO, Butterclock, EP

It's EP's first ever live show tonight, but that's far from apparent, as he delivers a smooth set that covers a lot of ground. Definitely on the upbeat side of things, there's no staggering complexity to the pieces, but each track seems to explore a different aspect of electronic music in an interesting manner and there's enough of an overarching tone to pull it all together, which is an impressive feat. The only real flaw is an occasional loose transition, but the music settles down quickly and each piece is nicely structured once begun. If this is any indication, there's certainly no lack of upcoming talent in Brisbane, unfortunately, looking around the venue, the question is whether there's anyone prepared to come out and offer support.

Butterclock acknowledges the applause that greats her with a quick “hi” and then drops some serious bass. Her recorded work employs sparkly arpeggios and clap-beats, strongly recalling Grimes, but tonight the music is shrouded in darkness, deep bass and smothering melodies with vocals drenched in reverb. It trends towards threatening, but there's still enough of the sweetness running under the main tune to avoid sinking into itself.  Musical accompaniment is heavily programmed, the live part of the show revolving around her vocals, which are exceptional – hard to distinguish from a studio recording. The set comes to an unfortunately early end (less than 20 minutes in) as the artist apologises and says her voice is gone, before very quickly making her way offstage. It's a real shame, as the set has been great up until then.

Last time he played a club show in Brisbane, it took oOoOO a little while to settle in, but once he did the ambience was overpowering, a deep and dark set of bass and static that captured the crowd. This time, the first track builds in smothering intensity and by the time the crackling static and deep bass begin putting the sound system to the test in by the second song, there's little doubt that this evening is going to match up.

For all his deft touch with remixing and ability to retain a pop sensibility in a dark track, oOoOO live is a significantly less friendly experience; merging drone and techno, this is dance music on some serious downers. Album and EP tracks are recognisable, but warp in and out of their known patterns – settling briefly into the standard track before disintegrating into something very different, a single drum pattern or sample tying this new version back to the original. In the end, the only flaw is that the set didn't go on for several hours longer.