Live Review: The Shins DJ

After playing their chilled Splendour sideshow to a large Hordern audience, The Shins were greeted by a handful of eager devotees at The BackRoom in Potts Point. The cosy venue was buzzing in awaiting the band's promised afterparty DJ set.

Front man James Mercer turned heads as he calmly walked through the bar, patrons double taking as he ordered beers and chatted with other band members. This relaxed atmosphere was short lived though, it was party-mode as they took the reigns of the night.

The band's subdued stage presence at the Hordern was replaced with outgoing socialisation as they grooved and mingled with guests. Keyboardist Richard Swift was in control of the desk, plugging in an iPod with one hand and placing a hip flask firmly in front of him with the other. Joe Plummer, the band's drummer, lined up songs as the sounds of bluegrass, soul and funk filled the BackRoom. For most of the night, Mercer found himself happily posing for photos, fans lining up to meet the indie legend. Thankfully, bass guitarist Yukki Matthews was on hand to make bar trips, bringing back handfuls of beer for the three.

The dance floor jived along to the sounds of Stevie Wonder's Superstition, David Bowie's Fame and George Michael's Faith. Guests rocked with a bouncing Mercer during Iggy's Lust for Life, the floor filling to capacity for the night's highlight.

Yes, it was only iPod tracks faded into one other, but the night was all about fans seeing The Shins expressing their own fandom early into the morning.