Alt-J have been good to Australia. Since playing their first Australian show at Ding Dong Lounge back in 2012, they’ve returned to our shores faithfully, sampling from a smorgasbord of Melbourne venues. Over the last three years, they’ve probably been to Australia more times than some international artists will in a lifetime. After selling out last October’s show at the 3,300 capacity Forum, they decided to give their fans a break and move to the roughly 15,000 capacity Rod Laver Arena (which was nearly sold out).
As the arena filled, Icelandic singer/songwriter Ásgeir put on a pleasant performance, with his song King and Cross getting the kind of reaction that up and coming artists in support slots usually do when they play their one big song.
Unfortunately, I was up in reserved seating (a very good reserved seat at that), meaning any sort of reaction to the music would have to be conveyed with some awkward chair grooving. But it wasn’t a total bore up in the seats. A fan a few rows in front of me did take it upon himself to bow down a few times and hop up for a quick boogie, so plus-ten to him.
Anyway, having seen alt-J a few times, I’ve noticed that they’re nicely progressing into the role of rock stars. Lead vocalist Joe Newman hopped around on stage, led sing-a-longs and interacted with the crowd with a newfound fervour. It was on songs like Fitzpleasure and Bloodflood that the four boys from Leeds truly showed off why they’ve sold out some of the biggest arenas in the world, pumping out heavy instrumentation and flawless harmonies. As to be expected, there were a few sound hiccups throughout the night, but nothing so unsavoury as to take away from the electric energy that coursed throughout Rod Laver.
As for their stage show, it was as simple as their all black ensembles, yet effective. Graphics swam across an LED screen and colourful lights illuminated the massive crowd. One of the night’s most alt-J moments came with Tessellate, which boomed through the mammoth speakers as oceans of fog engulfed the stage and a swarm of triangles were raised in the air.
The four-piece included songs from both their breakthrough debut An Awesome Wave and its follow-up, This Is All Yours. From the latter, The Gospel of John Hurt came across splendidly, which isn’t surprising since its huge breakdown is practically made for the arena environment, while the former’s closing track Taro was showcased exquisitely in an extended rendition.
After their regular set, they emerged for an encore that was capped off by their big hit, Breezeblocks. It had everyone singing, “Please don’t go, I love you so,” but eventually the four-piece laid down their instruments, exiting the stage with excited grins plastered across their faces.
BY LAUREN GILL
Photo by David Harris
Loved: The guy in GA who was dancing with his crutches in the air.
Hated: Chair grooving (or the lack thereof).
Drank: Nothing, just stared longingly at those $13 daiquiris with the light up cups.
