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Having kicked off their world tour in Europe earlier this year, Alt-J took to the stage at the packed Adelaide Entertainment Centre on December 5^th to promote their newest album, Relaxer. 

After teasing fans with new music over the past twelve months, the band finally released their third studio album, Relaxer, in June.  It was the British indie-rockers first release since their huge 2014 album, This Is All Yours, which featured singles such as Hunger of The Pine and Left Hand Free.

Warpaint – Photo by John Goodridge

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Opening for the band was Los Angeles quartet Warpaint.  If you’re not familiar with the band, the group are owners of a sound that walks a fine line between dreamy melodic pop and downtempo rock.

Warpaint captivated the crowd with their atmospheric and low-key vibe, with guitarists and dual lead vocalists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman dancing across the stage.  It is always a pleasure to watch a live show where the performers look like they are having the time of their life, and it appeared that Warpaint was at ease performing to such a large crowd.

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Warpaint – Photo by John Goodridge

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Halfway through the set, Kokal revealed they were going to play a request that they had seen on the internet, noting that “sometimes that works,” before jumping into Undertow.  They played a few tracks off their 2016 album, Heads Up, including the title track New Song, and also played some older songs, including, Elephants, Love Is To Die and Disco//very.  Warpaint delivered a spectacular live show, and the crowd were well and truly warmed up for the main event.

During the interval, the crew drop the curtain covering half the stage to reveal an impressive display of LED lights.  Punters surrounding me were in awe, with members of the audience whispering “whoa, look at those lights” to their mates.

After a short interval, excitement hit an all-time when headliners Alt-J came on stage with the three members separated by a wall of lights.  The room went silent as the opening bars of 3WW began to play. The track was a brilliant way to start the evening it is a perfect example of the band’s new direction on their third album, Relaxer.

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Alt-J – Photo by John Goodridge

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Alt-J’s live show was cinematic with the LED lights flickering in tune to the band’s music.  The trio was mesmerising as they performed older tracks, Something Good and Tessellate, which highlighted the band’s eerie folk vocals, jolting drums and melodic synths.

A crowd pleaser for the evening was In Cold Blood, which was the second single released off Alt-J’s new album, Relaxer. In Cold Blood is one of the more upbeat tracks of the album and stays true to the band’s eclectic sound.  However, the track adds a bigger punch with its brass elements and other delicate sounds, adding to the band’s more stripped back sound.

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Alt-J – Photo by John Goodridge

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Lead vocalist, Joe Newman, acknowledge the crowd, asking who was keen for a singalong.  The whole crowd sang along to Matilda, with a chorus of “This is from, this is from, Matilda” filling up the entire room.  The lights were dimmed, and the band was submerged in red lights for the band’s performance of Hunger of the Pine, which was another theatrical experience that had the crowd in awe.

Alt-J took a brief break before returning on stage for an incredible encore of their most popular tracks, Left Hand Free and Breezeblocks.  The audience left on a high with the band delivering once again a whirlwind set and the stunning visual light show took the performance to another level.

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Check out John Goodridge’s gallery of this show HERELIFY – NS

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