The feeling that made your stomach empty, thinking about the time being had up at Splendour in the Grass, momentarily vanished with the excitement of one of the better double-bill shows Melbourne has seen in a while. With the Festival Hall capacity selling out almost immediately on the day the tickets went on sale, this was the most anticipated of all the sideshows ‘popping down for a visit’.

Although it was the hottest ticket in town, a bitter pill needed to be swallowed by those in possession of one: the venue was Festival Hall. This Melbourne venue is notorious for large-scale gigs in order to sell the most tickets possible. When at full capacity, it takes on the form of a large indoor cattle pen, with people being hoarded into a very uninspiring grey shed where the sound quality lacks compared to alternatives like the Metro Theatre or Billboards. However the sheer volume of the crowd did speak volumes about the mass following Hot Chip and LCD have garnered over the years.

The early dinner-time serving of Hot Chip, just shy of 8pm, was probably too soon for the liking of the crowd. Having to encounter mass lines to get in, being searched and then repeating the same drudgery for the drink and toilet lines, the premature start wasn’t appreciated. With the vibe hardly on the ascent, the night seemed forced into gear.

The five-piece Hot Chip were without key member Joe Goddard, who was on cue for his parts via a television screen behind the band. Revealing only Goddard’s singing head, his band mates circulated around him willing to get their paws on as many instruments as possible. Using a giant marimba in One Life Stand and maracas and cowbells in Over and Over, it’s as if they just raided a school’s music room before coming to play. Yet their reliable and expected Casio-sounding synths were always present, especially with I Feel Better’s cheesy yet infectious rave hook.

Unlike their previous gigs here, where they opted for a harder club sound, they only delivered something that was tinny and inoffensive. Whether it was the work of the beloved Festival Hall sound system or a deliberate choice by the band to sound more like a “band”, Hot Chip lacked a bit of punch. This wasn’t too despairing for those pressed into the arena, knowing well and truly who was yet to come. Ending on Ready for the Floor, the title was an apt introduction for the carpet to be rolled out for James Murphy.

As the lights dimmed for the master of “disco-punk”, an homage to his eclectic musical tastes as a New York disc jockey was paid with 10 CC’s I’m Not in Love. Then with the reflecting disco ball lighting up the entire place, LCD burst out into an energetic opener with Us vs Them. The lyrics “the time has come today” gave the show an air of self-professed importance – and probably justified. It was said to be their last.

The infectious basslines and staccato beats of the band lay underneath the preacher-like wailings of their chubby frontman. This energy remained until the very last note. Older tracks like Tribulations had the same charisma as the newer hits like I Can Change. The larger-than-life figure of Murphy sweating it up was to make sure that he wasn’t to leave his legacy in Melbourne on a low note.

The two great tracks, All my Friends and Get Innocuous, got the crowd even more onside, just as his Sounds of Silver album did three years ago. Following almost all the tracks of that album he then broke into his classic, Losing My Edge. Knowing that his reign was soon to be over, it is clear he is all too aware of his place in the indie music scene – an impossible to ‘keep up’ place where his originality of making ‘records’ gets lost in a sea of internet album leaks and fast paced fashion-music.

To everyone’s satisfaction, Murphy divulged that it in fact won’t be LCD’s last visit to Australia before hanging up their disco shoes. This news met with massive applause, they concluded on a sincere note with New York I Love You. He objected to replacing “New York” with “Melbourne”, with Murphy remaining defiant: “I’m not going to whore myself, people”. This dedication to the city that built the band heightened when bandmate Nancy Whang broke out in a LCD rendition of Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind.

The admission that he’ll be back, although exciting, didn’t need to be said. If this was to be their last gig it would have been enough to leave his legacy. Not even the failures of the venue or lack of intimacy with such a large crowd could overshadow Murphy’s indomitable presence, which was the lasting memory of the whole evening.