Pic Jason Rosewarne
Review: Bryget Chrisfiled. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
As soon as we enter Mt Duneed Estate – clocking multi-coloured fluffy leg warmers, glowsticks and glitter beards – it feels more like ‘A Day On The Pingers’ than A Day On The Green.
There’s no easing into things for Sydney-raised, LA-based DJ/producer/singer/songwriter Anna Lunoe who serves banging bass from the get-go. Lunoe also sings/raps – live on da mic – which gives her a distinct advantage when connecting with the crowd. She borrows a few lines from Felix Da Housecat’s Silver Screen: “Sweet seduction in a Magazine/ Endless pleasure in a limousine…” – it’s not yet 6pm and punters are already twerking up a storm. Groove Armada’s Superstylin’ is a set highlight and we’re also chuffed when Lunoe busts out Opus III’s It’s A Fine Day (“It’s gonna be a fine night tonight…”) – choon! It’s classy stuff and we’re hardcore crushing on Lunoe. She’s already played Coachella and we completely understand why Lunoe is smashing it on a global scale.
Hot off the heels of their ‘20 Years 20 Nights’ anniversary DJ tour of small Australian venues, The Presets demonstrate peerless mixing chops. We’re ushered into a rave cave where everything suddenly feels like surround sound. “Is anyone out there feeling dangerous?” – the dynamic duo composed of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes open with Raka, the exhilarating title track from their collaborative EP with Golden Features. Deceiver by Chris Lake & Green Velvet (“I see your lips movin’/ But what you talkin’ ‘bout…”) signals it’s time to shut up and dance.
As banging as The Presets DJs get (see: their next-level, pulsating take on Icehouse’s Great Southern Land), groove is at the heart of everything they do. When Hamilton can’t resist turning the volume down to test our lyrical knowledge during The Presets’ own This Boys In Love, we kinda wish he’d sing live vocals à la Lunoe.
“(Work)/ What you waiting for?/ (Work)/ Put your back in it…” – Work by Masters At Work rekindles our muscle memory as we dust off long-forgotten moves from our raving heyday.
The Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix of New Order’s Confusion – which soundtracks that unforgettable nightclub scene from vampire flick, Blade – gets hands in the air. Then punters get their singalong on when Nirvana’s Lithium is dropped in the mix. But nothing could’ve prepared us for The Presets DJs’ closing medley – a triumvirate of their own belters: My People; I Go Hard, I Go Home; and Are You The One? – followed by Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name. Who doesn’t wanna repeatedly holler, “FUCK YOU, I WON’T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!” to let off a bit of steam? As our stomping feet kick up plenty of dust it mingles with smoke-machine fog to create a hazy cloud. All hail, The Presets!
Just prior to The Chemical Brothers hitting the stage, a black bra is volleyed around in the front GA section, which goes some way towards illustrating the loose vibe.
For That Beautiful Feeling, The Chemical Brothers’ stonking tenth record, made us fall in love with electronic dance music all over again when it dropped in September of last year and we can’t wait to experience some of their new material live.
“Come with us/ And leave your earth behind…” – The Chemical Brothers open in sinister fashion, simultaneously terrifying and electrifying, and we feel like an alien abduction is imminent. Then from, Go – the duo’s opener proper – onwards “there’s no time to rest” for our dancing feet. MAH’s visuals – floating white masks and a strange, shirtless masked king of sorts lip syncing (“I’m mad as hell, I ain’t gonna take it no more!”) – never fail to give us the heebie-jeebies.
No Reason’s rapid-fire snare rolls, which would make Beyoncé herself scurry obediently into formation, insist we dance faster and more furiously. Then this recent track’s repeated “WOO!”s ensure total immersion. “Hey girls/ B-boys/ Superstar DJs, here we go!” – Hey Boy Hey Girl turns the Mt Duneed massive crowd into a sea of pogoing bodies and we’re off! We swear The Chemical Brothers are reading our minds when they drop Feels Like I Am Dreaming, which becomes the airborne Swoon (“Just remember to fall in love/ There’s nothing else…”).
The visuals for each song play out like separate short films, with the onscreen characters, dancers, acrobats and choreography all starring in the overall spectacle. We barely cast a glance in their direction, but Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands take us on a captivating journey that also hits us right in the feels during specific, meticulously crafted moments.
New Order’s Temptation (“Oh, you’ve got green eyes/ Oh, you’ve got grey eyes…”) morphs into Star Guitar – what a euphoric combo! We’re delighted when the sassy, sashaying pink creatures – which feature in Got To Keep On’s dazzling visuals – materialise. Then white ticker tape rains down upon us on cue to illustrate some of this song’s lyrics: “And the rain/ Comes down/ Like tears…” – genius! Massive shout-out to The Chemical Brothers’ G.O.A.T. show directors Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall – we’re not worthy!
During Galvanize – which repeatedly demands, “Don’t hold back!” – a pair of giant cartoon-style robots, with lasers shooting from their eyes, are lowered onto the stage as we collectively lose our shit to this track’s urgent-strings hook. Insistent bass announces the irresistible Block Rockin’ Beats, The Chemical Brothers’ main set closer. But since we’re instructed via the giant screen, “Hold Tight Geelong!” we brace ourselves for an encore, which kicks off with No Geography.
While The Chemical Brothers perform, we forget absolutely everything that’s wrong with the world to instead focus on the pure, mindful enjoyment of pulling shapes. Chems realign our grey matter like no other electronic act we’ve experienced to date and continue to raise the bar for themselves with every tour.
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