Alt-J at the Enmore Theatre 7/10/14 - Live Review

The velveteen poignancy of Grace Woodroofe’s vocals decorates a ghostly backdrop of blues offset by broody electronica. Illuminated idolatrously by amethyst beams, the Perth native holds herself quietly and confidently, tall in her stature and stage presence yet markedly humble, demurely thanking the sold-out Enmore Theatre for its warm response in a speaking voice which seems to so starkly diverge from her sultry contralto. The young songwriter’s cordiality is contagious; Grace displays a promising confidence in her art without affectation.

To put it mildly, Alt-J are no rockstars. Keyboardist and backing vocalist Gus Unger-Hamilton accidentally traipses onto the stage a good fifteen minutes before the due showtime, fortunately realising his mistake and retreating before any major undoing of the element of surprise. Two steaming cups of tea are placed at the foot of lead vocalist Joe Newman’s microphone stand by sound crew members promptly after. The set runs for a precisely-calculated hour and ten minutes from 9pm on the dot, ensuring the band do not overshoot their bedtime. Such should be expected of these unlikely possessors of a Mercury Prize, whose live performance exhibits a concurrent lack of pretentiousness alongside the effortless, otherworldly magnetism idiosyncratic to Alt-J.

The intoxicating escalation of ‘Hunger of the Pine’ forms an opener which builds anticipation not only in itself but also for what the evening has yet to bring. Miley Cyrus’ sampled call of “I’m a female rebel” circles the chorus emphatically, provoking due fervour in tonight’s highly vocal full-house of spectators. Meanwhile, aligned diplomatically in a row at the front of the stage and bathed in vermilion light, Alt-J’s movements are as delicately harmonised as the vocals of Newman and Unger-Hamilton.

Alt-J weaves effortlessly a combination of fêted tracks from their stellar debut LP with those of their sophomore release This Is All Yours in a fulgent display of their sheer aptitude for songwriting. Recurring lyrical motifs flit throughout the set, Newman’s adenoidal vocals soaring over the empyreal trance evoked by ‘Bloodflood’ and ‘Bloodflood Pt. II’. The candescent fury of ‘Fitzpleasure’, replete with powerful rhythmic flourishes by Thom Green, is intriguingly interconnected with both parts of ‘Bloodflood’, the hypnotic saga which extends across the band’s two records. The chilling a capella harmonies of ‘Ripe & Ruin’ mark a momentary respite in the unquiet impetus of the set, spawning a 1,600-strong choir of vociferous spectators; heavenly twin white spotlights illuminate Newman and Unger-Hamilton like saints.

The melodies hover uneasily but tellingly; the lilt of ‘Warm Foothills’ translates live to shimmering simplicity, while ‘The Gospel of John Hurt’ both terrifies and engrosses us as it closes the main set with graphic allusions to Ridley Scott’s Alien: “Coming out of the woodwork / chest bursts like John Hurt.”

Alt-J return with little hesitation for encore and the stage resumes its auroral display; a mesmerising cover of Bill Withers’ ‘Lovely Day’ is seemingly original. The set is closed unsurprisingly yet with no less fervour than the track demands: what other way than with ‘Breezeblocks’? The performance is dazzling; like the spontaneity of this short run of Australian shows, we are left dazed and perplexed by that which seemed to flash before our eyes tonight, as we beg, in turn: “Please don’t go / I’ll eat you whole / I love you so.”

Review by Jaimee Cachia

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