The Tivoli was dark and warm, and the crowd for Ladytron were waiting on the front sidewalk to see their much loved band, touring Australia live for the very first time. Punters came from all walks of life, and their excitement evident as smiles illuminated their faces. Before the fervent crowd could witness the headliners, however, it was time for the opening act.
I was interested to see how the Swedish duo Familjen would cope being so far from home. With Johan Karlsson on vocals and Andreas Tilliander on synths, I was excited to have them warming things up tonight on the techno/electro pop tip. Andreas entered the stage minus Johan, commencing the set with a brilliant intro thick with heavy acid sounds. The majority of the audience immediately began to bop and groove. Johan joined the stage soon enough, and together, they started with ‘Kom Säger Dom’, keeping their acidic tech vibe bubbling away. It was mellow, and I couldn’t help but notice that the crowd wanted a bit more. This was, after all, in keeping as the support act. With a few more tunes under their belt, ‘Det Snurrar I Min Skalle’ signaled the end of the thirty minute set. Slammed on Australian radio over the past few months, this tune brought the biggest reaction of their set. This small set proved a nibble of what Familjen could do as a taster for all heading to Parklife that weekend. At this point, the eagerness for Ladytron was evident thanks to the screams and cries for more. The long changeover between bands added to the anticipation, though frustration began to show as the crowd began to restlessly murmur amongst themselves. After some fidgeting, the 6-piece electro pop band from Liverpool finally took to the stage.
Ladytron started with their hit from 2002, Seventeen. Keenly, I jostled my way amongst the many bodies to the front to fully gauge the quality of sound. The production was outstanding – the front area of The Tivoli wonderfully captured each nuance and tone of the heavily synthesized textures. Musically, it was brilliant. As the band played through some their successful singles, like Evil and Destroy Everything You Touch, the band leaned into their keyboards as the duel-attack of two front women shimmied about on stage, feeding from the energy of the crowd. Unfortunately, however, I started getting frustrated at the visual aspect of the show, as the lighting made it difficult to focus on the frontline vocalists. The dim red lights fused with a green laser to make everything on the stage murky and indistinguishable. To get a full view of the production I made my way to the back and was immediately disappointed. The microphone levels were way too low and the amplified tones barely carries to the back of the room. Though I had been lucky enough to be in the front to hear the natural voice of the vocalists, the back of the room proved to be slightly less impressive. The electro sound seemed more acoustic than electronic.
Overall, apart from a lengthy changeover between sets, the night proved enjoyable, with Ladytron ably showcasing their talent. The vocalists proved to be the outstanding sensation on this evening, though the band were quite commendable in their efforts too. The sound was amazing and the musicianship of the band was incredible, with plenty of energy transmitted between the stage and the floor. For a Wednesday night in the lead-up to Parklife, I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.
