So I went to see Pendulum the other night. I was excited and a tad anxious to see them for the third time, this time being their first live performance for me. I really did not know what to expect from the guys who kicked me off into my adventure of drum n’ bass all those years ago. But I was less than impressed to discover the gig was on a Wednesday night. Heres the thing – drum n’ bass is what I class as the musical boot camp. It’s so good it hurts… literally, and putting a gig night in smack bang in the middle of the week is just bloody annoying for anyone who has full-time commitments. So I knew I would not be making a full investment at the gig and unleashing the fury.
Nevertheless, by the time I arrived shortly after the doors were scheduled to open at 8.15pm, there was a line from the Hi-Fi bar entrance all the way back to Collins Street. The punters were not playing around, definitively eager beavers. Personally, I love the Hi-Fi bar, despite its ever increasing drink prices, as the venue has a great layout and it always sounds great. The Hi-Fi bar is the perfect intimate venue for performances. The night started off with Thief, a funk/soul/hip hop DJ who i have seen before and I gotta say, I love the rhythm of his sets. He threw out fun and funk with old school Dr Dre, Dead Prez and Mr Scruff during his very brief 30-40 minute set, giving great atmosphere for the place as it was filling up. Thief’s sets are cool, there is no other way to describe it.
The BBA DJs followed, with a rhythmic odyssey through jungle and dub step. And while listening to it, never before have I seen such a multicultural group of punters – I’m talking about people from different musical communities. I noticed all the regulars from rave, rock, metal, hip hop, drum and bass, and people who just love live music. Chatting to a few people, I discovered the majority of them there were not drum n’ bass fans, but more specifically Pendulum fans who had heard about about them though other friends and Triple J. It was going to be interesting to see how this collective would respond to the unique and unfamiliar sound of dub step and jungle, but to my surprise, the audience warmed to it nicely. Towards the end of his set the DJs evolved his set into wickedly funky breakbeat, setting us all up for Pendulum.
By the time BBA DJs set was done, the Hi-Fi bar was packed out. As Pendulum were setting up, the room was already filled with energy, the audience was roaring and clapping for them to start and the smell of sweat had already filled the room. They finally took the stage, and the crowd went bonkers for the boys from Perth. They’re a 5-piece band, with the original trio from Perth, plus a drummer and MC. They started off the show with the big anthem everyone knew Fasten Your Seatbelts, and the punters were instantly sold. The mosh had formed and people were losing their shit in the best way possible, and this is when I first started to notice the shift towards a live rock atmosphere. They followed up with one of my favorite tracks Another Planet, which sent the crowd insane. By this point, the air had become this thick mix of moisture and testosterone, just in time for the live remix of Voodoo People. next up, the amazing light show focused on the center of the stage where the lead guitarist played a calming Spanish-like guitar solo, which was a perfect shift after the Voodoo People assault. The great solo lead into Girl in the Fire, giving the crowd a much needed shift into a relatively cruisy drum n’ bass sound.
At this point I might mention a few reservations; I couldn’t help but notice that Pendulum were situated inbetween 2 places, a DJ sets and a live performance, attempting to do both but not being completely masterful at either. With a DJ sets you can have literally non-stop energy running the whole night, but with the live band experience it has the bonus of being visceral and interactive with the audience. The music was great live, but nothing compared to their DJ sets in terms of flow. And on the other hand, their stage presence when stacked up against other live indie bands, was lacking. But these reservations aside, Pendulum are definitely doing something unique with drum n’ bass. they’ve made DnB for everyone, and have been very successful at it. Now they are stepping into a new realm where they have expanded their fan; the music is awesome, and that alone brings a very real possibility that we will see Pendulum up there at Big Day Out playing on the main stage with the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Hilltop Hoods. But the stage presence and interaction with the audience needed work at this gig.
But the rest of the set was awesome. Big anthems like Blood Sugar followed, as well as a couple of exclusive songs from their new album. By this point there was literally sweat dripping off the walls, it was nasty and everyone loved it. A few people had come out of the center mosh and I had not seen people that sweaty since the Rage Against the Machine mosh at this year’s Big Day Out. As the set was coming to a close, the epic sounds of Slam rumbled through the speakers. Of course they came back on for an encore, closing the night with a great live remix of Hold Your Color.
As we slowly shuffled out of Hi-fi, there were smiles of exhaustion. The punters were satisfied, and in spite of my opinions, I was satisfied too. Pendulum did their job, and I had danced so hard it hurt. I give my respect to Pendulum for the fanbase they’ve built: I was blown away by the diverse musical community present, and it fulfills the time-old cliche that music really does bring people together. Who would have thought it would come from drum n’ bass created from three boys from Perth. But I did feel violated and abandoned and after the gig, being thrown onto the city streets at 2am with only 5 hours until I had to go to wake up for work. Damn you Pendulum!
wilsonrob says...
I mostly agree with what you have to say, it was a good night and I enjoyed it but I dont think they pulled the live show off. They need to see a Shapeshifter show to see how to do it properly.
shapeshiffter says...
i agree man, shapeshifter put on the mean live show! and one more thing did pendulum even have a drummer there? saw the drum kit but not much else