After a brilliant weekend of beachie dreams, how better to end a week than to flock down to Beck’s Festival Bar in the cool twilight hours for some long-overdue Coda release?

Upon entry, it seemed as though most of the cool arty kids had the same idea, as they wandered about with drink in-hand basking in the friendly, laidback atmosphere as Inga Lijlstrom and her delightful Elk’s smooth trip hop sounds danced on the airwaves. As we moved a little closer to get a better glimpse of the onstage action, the sound was clearer and the between track banter funnier.

Performance-wise Inga’s always had one of those instantly bewitching voices, one of power and seduction that grabbed me from the very first time I heard it on Gerling’s ‘Dust Me Selekta’. And tonight’s performance still held a shocking amount of beauty, but there was just something about her execution that seemed as though she was holding something back, not quite comfortable enough to let it shine in it’s sheer power.

After a tasty selection of between band tracks, we were served with one of Sydney’s finest magical outfits. With the slight chill in the summer evening air, the darkness of the sky, with a visible sprinkling of stars and the colourful array of onstage lights, the timing and setting couldn’t be more fitting for Coda’s arrival.

As always they bore a wonderfully weird selection of hats and outfits, after a cute and quick introduction from Naomi, we were taken away with the soft sonic breeze. Into a world of no pretension, no worries, instead filled with joy, excitement, promise and glitter-filled delight.

Tonight we were treated to an extra special visual aid, as their new ‘Coda-pendants’ Joy and Nikki took the stage in extra strange, wonderfully short outfits and doll-like face paint to dance in an absinth-like dream. The special guest feature was taken by the gorgeous Abby Dobson this evening, who provided some extra special vocal magic, as she joined the band onstage for two tracks.

Coda’s performance was as always, stunning in every aspect, their knowledge of sound and how to create a mood and visual scene with it is amazing. The very heart of their tracks is dramatic and beautiful, untainted, exploring all of the tastier parts of life. The love, the heartbreak, tragedy, triumph, it’s holds all of the glory of the first kiss and all of the sadness of the last embrace -making us treasure the better feelings and dance nonchalantly through the bad ones.