After a crazy day, in which saw a close relative hospitalised, the rain coming down, me almost missing my train and in result of my fast thinking receiving a $200 fine, my gig buddy turning up a half hour (or more) late, I wondered what other colourful spanners could possibly be left to throw in the works to stop me from making it to this show. When it all seemed to be coming together, there was of course what could have been the final straw as my name seemed to be absent from the guestlist, but alas, I was met with a friendly and understanding door crew and my bad luck finally came to an end. Once in, I noticed that the Metro was peppered liberally with a mix from the modern day bohemians (you know the type that pay like $300 for a top that’ll have them looking all Sienna-like?), friendly fans from the old days (pre-DR’s Somersault success), film students and a nice mix of new fans of all ages. It was great to see so many of them coming on out to support the band that seem to be ruling their own genre in Sydney of late (since the departure of great fellow-thinkers Prop and Ukiyo-e).

I managed to get there just in time to catch Sydney’s latest great white hype Expatriate take the stage in an attempt to warm up the crowd and get them all excited and revved up for Decoder Ring. After their second song and a whole lot of obnoxious applause, I wonder what it is that has punters and critics alike falling over themselves in awe of these guys? I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re good and they’re tight, but what is it that really strikes you about them? Is it the Joy Division sound? The Robert Smith vocal-stylings? Their tres’ original dress sense? (cough, cough) Or maybe it’s that unbelievable stage presence and crowd interaction that they just don’t seem to possess this evening. I caught these guys live for the first time a few months ago and they seemed to play exactly as I wanted them to play, their sound was everything I’d hoped it would be. But for some reason, tonight that simply wasn’t doing it for me. Each song leaked into the next and the only real way to tell them apart was by the applause that rang out between. Maybe it’s the vibes from a bad day catching up with me, or maybe I’m just in a cynical and un-pleasing mood this evening, either way Expatriate weren’t for me, not this time.

After a brief intermission and a few well-spun discs, the mighty Decoder Ring finally graced us with their presence and for anybody still in the front bar taking a load off with a few bevvies, their entrance was heard by the sheer volume of the crowd’s raucous cheering. In the theatre, the room had quite visibly tripled in size of eager punters, who must have decided to skip the Expatriate excitement for tonight. With a cute and brief introduction from the lovely Lenka, they launched into their set without any further ado, they knew what the crowd wanted and they weren’t going to stall on delivering. With the hypnotising and psychedelic visual loop up on the big screen behind them, they were off, set on taking us to another place, far away from the busyness of the inner city hub we’d all come together in. And just like they’d waved a magic wand, the crowd quietened down and moved in time with every sonic impulse coursing through their bodies.

I knew when I first saw Decoder Ring play live about 4 years ago, that there was something very special about them, that with their musical expertise and vision they were set to really make an impact on us all. It was clear then, but now it’s just plain obvious, even to the everyday Joe (no matter what they’re into) it’s unlikely that Decoder Ring’s pure magic will leave them untouched. It also remains very clear that these guys aren’t just musicians, they’re music fans, they know what they’re doing and they believe in their sound, it’s pouring straight from the heart and washing away all of the cares and stresses of our everyday life. Whatever was going on in our lives before now, it’s all been forgotten as we lose ourselves in the sheer brilliance of what’s happening onstage. Not since seeing the mighty Glaswegians Mogwai, have I ever experienced anything quite like this. Playing a steady and well thought-about mix of new material, from their pristine new longplayer ‘Fractions’, some intriguing and vision-triggering tracks from last year’s ‘Somersault’ score and even managing to touch on a bit from their much-loved, often-overlooked debut, they had us all happily eating out of their hands, whatever they played was exactly what we wanted this evening, they were our dictators and this was our church.

The whole thing from first step to last breath was simply stunning and an amazing reminder that there are still bands like this out there, waiting to be discovered, taken into our hearts and felt through every pore of our body. Music fans and not just music wankers, doing it for the love and from the heart and not for the fame and the fortune, even though both are likely to ensue for Decoder Ring.