Live Review: Splashh, Fascinator

In a sparkling golden floral onesie, wearing a black veil hanging from a snapback, Children Collide front man Johnny Mackay's new project Fascinator warmed GoodGod Small Club on a miserable Sydney night. Flanked by two dancers throughout the set, Mackay's original take on psychedelic-electro rock failed to impress. His creativity is undeniable, but as a solo artist he seems to be trying too many things at once. The strong vocals were overshadowed by off-putting harmonisers and effects; many songs built nicely but remained at an unsatisfying peak for too long. Songs like Mr Caterpillar show Mackay can create trippy arrangements you can dance to, but his overuse of effects and the general peculiarity of the performance were lost on a trendy Sydney crowd.

Splashh is enjoying being one of the most hyped bands in London right now, and from the get go showed why. Slightly psychedelic and ultra modern, Splashh performed their debut album, Comfort, transporting the crowd, including Jake Stone of Bluejuice (who thoroughly enjoyed the gig) from a windowless basement to carefree summer vacations for forty minutes.

Hailing from New Zealand, Australia and the UK, Splashh only began playing together last year, but the easy-flowing tunes suggest otherwise. The acidic fuzz of Splashh's overall sound really didn't emphasise the technical brilliance of the intimate performance. Jacob Moore on drums and Thomas Beale on bass were rock solid, whilst Toto Vivian added flair on keyboard and the crowd lapped up Sasha Carlson's laid-back vocals and youthful energy.

It's not surprising the band cites The Pixies and New Order as influences when you hear the upbeat and cohesive bass and guitar in tracks like Vacation and All I Wanna Do. And Carlson's voice and lyrics have all the ache of a Kurt Cobain or Julian Casablancas, showcased perfectly in Danger To Yourself.

The album's diversity makes Comfort tricky to define - it's surfy pop punk but it's grunge, it's indie rock but it's psychedelic. Deep when it needs to be and breezy when it doesn't, Comfort is an absolute triumph, and Splashh's short set near-perfect.