The rumours are true; we're built differently in the West.
Our approach to weekends is distinctive, squeezing out every last drop of Sunday's essence. With BICEP not taking the stage till nearly midnight, you can trust there will be some braving their desk jobs today, pretending they had a restful weekend.With another sell-out event from Higher Self, 2,000-plus electronic music lovers lined the streets and piled into the multi-level venue Metro City (7 January), eagerly securing their spots at diverse vantage points to witness the boundary-pushing sound experience that is BICEP.
As our weekend warriors hung off balconies to be an inch closer to Ross From Friends, he warmed our bodies up with expertly mixed pulsating beats, incorporating some cult classics like Tatu's 'All The Things She Said' for good measure.
We were well and truly primed when BICEP took the stage, accompanied by a rather large refreshment tub. We all knew Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar had brought their Irish vibrant cultural traditions to WA.
Embracing farewell and seamlessly transitioning from Ross From Friends' set into their own, BICEP instantly put us under a trance, encouraging us to give way to the mesmerising music and dance like no one was watching.
The visual production hypnotising even the stone-cold sober, taking them on a journey that was at times so intensely mind-bending, a thought went out for the souls who were enjoying themselves a little more and where they would be transported to throughout the evening.
Musically, BICEP conducted an adrenaline-pumping panorama of cutting-edge electronica, of which is a rarity in the southern hemisphere. Playing their adored tunes 'Glue', 'Apricots' and 'Water', they effortlessly weaved into reinterpretations of other melodies that even the keenest ear couldn't identify, leaving them lost to the moment.
Through a heavy influence of a syncopated drum beat, synonymous to their breakbeat style, they lost some energy from the younger crowd, preferring the predictable 4/4 beat. Making it evident that BICEP weren't here to be predictable, but to deliver a boundary-pushing revolutionary experience, that they themselves could get lost in.
Reading some reviews of what was in store for our evening I noted one that mentioned that 'BICEP was a spiritual experience', and although they were hypnotic, I can confirm the only spiritual experience I encountered was when the venue decided to turn on the air-con, only briefly enough to reduce risk of someone collapsing from heat exhaustion.
While Hot Yin yoga was never my vibe, we all took the conditions in our stride, continuing to lose ourselves to the music, sliding off one another as the sweat poured and the intoxicating music continued.
All lost in the paradigm of the body-reverberating bass that enveloped our minds and provided us with an unparalleled, goosebump-inducing, mind-altering set to escape the anticipation of what the sunrise would bring.
With Higher Self presenting some much anticipated events this year across Perth and Bali, such as Daylité Open Air, set to bring us a house and techno inspired riverside rave across two stages in March, I can assure we will be back to enjoy their collection of world-class artists who delight our senses with their exceptional talents.
