I’d never had the pleasure of seeing Apparat live. However, I’d heard nothing but positive things and four months ago, in anticipation of their coming tour, I did some exploring and got to know a little bit more about the music that so many raved about. Come early December, I was on the verge of seeing two gigs in the space of four days – an intimate little sideshow and a little festival called Subsonic. Needless to say, their music had clearly had an impact on me.

Their new album The Devil’s Walk had done nothing less than absolutely blow me away. It made me go in search of an earlier album, Walls which in my opinion, was just as delightfully good – if not better in parts. And on the back of a holiday through Vietnam over two weeks in November, both albums had got plenty of airplay.

Miles away from Hanoi, however, is a venue called The Standard. Some of you may know it as the loft space directly above Kinsela’s in Taylor Square. For some reason, despite having been to a few gigs there, I’d always been left wanting. I was hoping that that trend would finally come to an end, and it would be Sascha Ring and co that would break the duck for me.

Warm up duties fell to Sydney band Bon Chat Bon Rat. The crowd was chatty and the music nowhere near loud enough, though it all had a rather pleasant relaxed vibe to it. However, said vibe was more akin to being at a bar than a live music venue, which made engaging with their music difficult.

By the time the lights dimmed in anticipation of Apparat’s arrival, the crowd had filled up considerably, everyone turning to the stage. I’d perched myself on the balcony and had a great view of a rather burgeoning crowd.

Apparat opened with Your House Is My World before delving into Arcadia , which seemed to get the biggest response of the night. It was all shaping up rather nicely, with the music was coming through loud and clear upstairs. But I wanted to get in the thick of it for a bit, so I made my way down with a partner in crime in tow. But then we hit a snag. The crowd, plentiful and all dressed alike – really did not seem interested. Everywhere, conversations were continuing with remarkable ease. Those chatting away in the middle of songs didn’t even need to speak particularly loud – the volume coming off stage was deplorable.

Blame the crowd, blame the speakers, or blame the noise restrictions that this venue faces – but it was hugely disappointing. The tunes, however, were immense – the emotive Rusty Nails and Candid de la Calle especially standing out from the pack.

Ring himself confessed (or boasted, I wasn’t entirely sure) that he and his band of three had had themselves a rather large night in Perth the night before. It was fair to say, and particularly at a live intimate gig like this, it wasn’t half obvious either. But the music continued, albeit interrupted too often by the cackling of yet someone else amused by something that clearly couldn’t wait.

Let me set something straight here: I’ve got no problem with people talking at clubs. But when you’re literally a handful of metres away from the band that you’ve apparently come to see – even if you don’t care to hear it, two things: show some respect for those around you, and even if that doesn’t sit right with you, show some respect for the dudes on stage. You can discuss how you wholeheartedly dismiss consumerism, shun mainstream preferences and how progressive your politics may be another time, surely.

Despite it all, Apparat’s music is something pretty special. Highly emotive, layered perfectly, the subtle sounds of a snare, the tinkering of a glockenspiel, and Ring’s voice, makes for a great experience, especially in ‘band mode’. After about an hour they were done, and while plenty left the building, the pizzas arrived (true story) and about 60 or stayed.

Cooper looked to be having plenty of fun at the helm, and in a few instances got the party really going. For me, Cooper has managed to find a sweet spot where deep house meets melodic techno, and the result is an absolute aural delight. He’d then drop it back into the deep house groove that he does so well, and some began to realise how late it was – and that a big weekend still awaited them. I was one of them.