Drum and bass is not a genre that I generally count myself as a fan of, but tonight’s performance may just change that. Unfortunately I arrived too late to see Budspells, partly due to watching the Rugby, and partly due to an inability to find the venue. Eventually our wanderings led us to cross paths with a guy on his mobile phone who announced in a loud and unmistakably Kiwi accent “Yeah bro, I’m going to see Shapeshifter”. After thanking him for his help, we entered the venue to find Perth DJ Greg Packer playing. For those that haven’t been to The Forum, it’s a well set up venue, with high balconies overlooking the stage from each side and a moderately sized dancefloor, with wide steps behind, forming a kind of amphitheatre. However, $24 for three left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I tend to think of drum and bass as dark and broody, but the tunes that Greg Packer was playing were for the most part happy and upbeat. The energy in the crowd was phenomenal, and it was clear that most people in the place were up for a big night. If this is representative of a normal drum and bass crowd, then I think I need to get out to a few more gigs. There was a genuinely friendly atmosphere that I have rarely experienced before. Perhaps Packer’s DJing was responsible for this. One track he played, which unfortunately I can’t name, had a brief vocal section, part of which was “OK, I lied. It’s drum and bass. What you gonna do?”, followed by breakdown. He had the crowd going absolutely nuts.

Packer was followed by a brief (too brief) interlude from Gsan and Shapeshifter drummer Dreadford. I apologise for my ignorance of technical matters, but it involved turntables and some kind of electronic drum type bizzo. Suffice to say that it was fantastic, with their treatment of James Browns’ “Ain’t it good to be the boss” simply breathtaking. James de la Cruz, who may well have “ex Avalanches” engraved on his tombstone one day, was next up. The man is an excellent and accomplished turntablist, but there was a little something lacking from this set. He didn’t really keep the energy of the previous two acts, and as one of the people I was with said, it was like being at an underage dance party one minute, then back at a drum and bass gig the next. He also left the crowd a little perplexed when he finished off with 20 seconds of Groove Armada’s “Superstyling” – report card says: “Can do better”.

It was Shapeshifter that everyone was there to see though, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. With a lineup consisting of five, there were more keyboards, synthesizers and various other pieces of electronic music making kit onstage than you could shake a very large stick at. Add to this a saxophone, electric guitar and a drum kit, and you have a recipe for some off-the-scale good live drum and bass. Frontman P-Digsss is a charismatic and talented vocalist, and with Tiki from Salmonella Dub on the sound desk he sounded even better. I’m reliably informed that they played a lot of their newer stuff – understandable with their new album “Soulstice” due for release in September. Based on tonight’s performance, it will definitely be one to look out for.

Having seen Shapeshifter live on two other occasions, I thought I knew what to expect, but this was by far the best I have seen them play. The skill, speed and tightness of the drumming was particularly impressive, and the jazz training of the musicians was evident in the guitar and sax playing. Much respect and thanks to all involved in putting the night together, a gig that opened this reviewer’s eyes to just how good drum and bass can be.