Last night Ratatat brought their shredding brilliance to The Tivoli Theatre for a performance that left this reviewer grinning with joy.
A midweek crowd showed their faces (2 December) with both levels of The Tivoli open. Not a sellout, there were still sufficient numbers to shower Mike Stroud and Evan Mast with love… their first Australian performance in half a decade.
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And boy did the lads enjoy themselves on stage as they busily ran around twiddling knobs, shredding, striking keys, power-stance shredding, banging drums, immersing themselves in the light show, squat shredding, arch-your-back shredding. And, oh, did I mention shredding.
Image © Zoe RussellSeriously, these guys were guitar lords shredding at anything that moved, including themselves.
While a punk-electronic act, there's plenty of Brian May's (Google him if you don't know who that is then rifle through your parent's Queen collection) style that is infused into Ratatat's sound… instrumental, psych rock is not a new invention kids.
But at other junctures the guys sounded like they were from the musical family tree of Air. It's one reason I can picture Ratatat as the merry jesters in a modern Henry VIII court as easily as them being the Mos Eisley Cantina house band.
Image © Zoe RussellWith a show lasting longer than 90 minutes, Ratatat navigated a large slice of their back catalogue including: 'Mirando', 'Loud Pipes', 'Falcon Jab' and 'WildCat' from 'LP3' while 'Party With Children' and 'Neckbrace' - very cool budgie imagery included - were highlights from 'LP4', as was the beat-drenched 'One'.
A youngish crowd, the biggest responses were reserved for the singles from 2015's 'Magnifique' album: 'Abrasive' and 'Nightclub Amnesia'. And when the opening, sex-drenched chords of 'Cream On Chrome' wafted across the Tivoli floor, people collectively pushed forward, sneakers at the ready for a manic groove. And groove we did.
Add to the mix the intense light and strobe show – the laser beams were a crowd favourite as an endless stream of hands reached upwards to touch the blinding brilliance – this was the perfect way to start summer 15/16… with a sweaty boogie to guitar-driven dance music.
Image © Zoe RussellCome again soon Ratatat.
