It was the first time at the Gaelic Club for this punter, and while it may have been the luck of the Irish, the small intimate venue promised plenty. As my partner in crime and I arrived midway through a very enjoyable warm-up set from Deepchild, we found him absolutely carving up a crowd that was already looking pretty loose for a Wednesday night, but nevertheless seemingly enjoying every minute of it. As far as warm-up sets go, this was solid all the way and he did what he does best – lots of chunky beats and bleeps, and enough to get every one nicely juiced up. There was a bit of everything – Mike Shannon, Antilope, and befitting a night with Booka Shade on the bill, – some material out of the Get Physical stable too. As he ripped into Deep Throat from Claude Von Stroke, the crowd getting just a touch restless, as 10.30 had come and gone, and still there was no sign of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier ...

When the German duo appeared though, things went up a notch or two on the hectic scale. Even more so, when they ripped into the unmistakable sound of Night Falls. For someone that had missed their infamous show earlier this year at The Metro, I quickly began to realise what all the hype was about. Beat for beat, bleep for bleep and pound for pound, this was quickly becoming a hell of a musical experience.

While some thought it appropriate to get on each other’s shoulders, despite them standing only a row or two from the front, and others thinking they must have been outdoors and just decided to take their clothes off altogether (sorry guys, but no-one wants to see your manboobs), the music kept pumping away. Despite it being a Wednesday night, some had obviously dosed up on the happy juice, but for those that had come to appreciate the music – and there were plenty – appreciate it they did.

Arno pounded away at his pretty impressive only half-real drum-set, while Walter got to work at the array of tech gizmos at his disposal. The result: sheer brilliance. They belted out tune after tune, and while there were unfortunately a few daft individuals in the crowd making life difficult (throwing cans at equipment; running around ploughing into people for the sake of it. Both, not cool), the majority of the crowd responded in appreciation and in unison. The unmistakable and eerie sound of Darko got such a group response, and through the course of the night, the boys even squeezed in some of their new tracks, including Numbers and Tickle – both which continue to have potential written all over them.

One of the beauties of the night though, was that as the momentum kept building, almost three quarters of an hour into their set, the big bombs that everyone would know had still not surfaced. Deep down though, you just knew they were waiting to be unleashed. And when they did – seriously folks – I don’t think live music gets much better than this. The out and out smash In White Rooms sent a stir through everyone, and was just one of those moments that one with an affinity for this type of music does not forget in a hurry. Likewise and combined with Mandarin Girl and Body Language, forming a triumvirate with a few others added here and there, that would create twenty minutes of madness and mayhem, but also sheer musical magic. As the end drew nigh, the lads responded to the crowd’s chants of ‘one more’, and the night was complete.

As they departed, the numbers seriously dwindled, but it mattered not. Those present had just experienced an offering from two German lads that only a few years ago, were relatively unknown. Now, they woo the world doing what they do best. And for Sydney folk that have had the opportunity to experience it several times this year, we should be fortunate.