Based in the UK but originally from Perth, Pendulum is touring across Australia in support of their new album Immersion, which has reached #3 on the ARIA charts, and #1 in the UK. It expands their already unique combination of drum & bass and rock sounds, with even more influences; dubstep, metal and electro to name just a few. This forecast great things for their already legendary live performance.

The show at Festival Hall began at 8pm with a DJ set by Shockone, a mixture of fast paced current drum & bass tunes such as Secret Agent by Netsky and his own The Calling, and a few bassy dubstep tracks. The majority of people arrived to pack out the floor and seating area in between 8:30 and 9, as the main show was scheduled for 9:15.

However after Shockone finished at around 9:00, Pendulum left us waiting for at least 35 or 40 minutes. There was recorded music playing at medium volume over the speaker system, but the stage was still dark, perhaps to build the excitement even more.

The crowd, who were overwhelmingly friendly and fun, by now filled most of the seating, and the entire main floor. The front half was the most boisterous fans, constantly jumping and dancing. The back half was a bit more spread out and somewhat less wild in their movements.

When they finally did begin, however, Pendulum definitely brought the show with them! The lighting was incredible. A range of colours of bright floodlights illuminated the stage from multiple angles, while a massive screen behind the stage, probably at least a storey high, displayed trippy videos and animations. The opening song, for example, featured circuitry animations with the coloured silhouettes of scorpions and roaches crawling over them.

Pendulum’s set was approximately 80 minutes long, an energetic mixture of some of their classic tunes such as Tarantula and Propane Nightmares, alongside all the tracks off their new album. It catered effectively for the tastes of both rockers and ravers, having plenty of full-on drum and bass tunes like The Vulture – played live, of course – and the more melodic vocal tracks, like Encoder, Witchcraft and The Island (Part 1) nicely interspersed to allow for big hug and high-five moments between groups of friends.

The band members themselves put on quite a show too, leaping into the air, Peredur ap Gwynedd and Gareth McGrillen bending backwards with their guitars, and Rob Swire crouched over the mic belting out a chorus. The band ended with a powerful live rendition of the first single off the album, Watercolour, before saying a big thank you to the crowd, and reminding everyone their next Melbourne performance will be at Future Music Festival next March!

A highlight of the show was watching the formation of a giant conga line of people jumping in place, spiralling outwards through the crowd on the main floor. The timing of the show on Cup Eve meant that most people did not have to work the next day, and so could really let loose.

(A few complaints about the venue: there were apparently massive lines for the girl’s toilet all night, as well as for drinks from the small downstairs bar. Also, all drinks were, somewhat perversely, served in paper cups, even bottled water being poured into a cup then given to patrons, leading to more than a few people in the crowd splashed by drinks.)