Thebarton Theatre was sold out and sweltering for the visit of Sneaky Sound System, Australia’s most arresting dance pop combo of the moment, as they stopped off in Adelaide on the latest in a series of tours that have helped add to the sales and acclaim afforded to their self-titled debut album. For an independently-released record, it has penetrated commercial radio and party playlists to a remarkable extent, and as such is a heartening endorsement of the view that if good enough, music will find its way to an audience regardless of the route.

But for all that, SSS are a group that have polarised, at least to a degree, when it comes to their live sets. Poppy and processed, they have played a few less than sparkling gigs over the course of a punishing schedule, but retain an energy level that can, at least in part, make up for any lapses in sound or spontaneity. At Thebarton, fresh from a night of adulation at the ARIA Awards, they did more than enough to have a sweaty, heady crowd heaving with loud appreciation. They retain the problems associated with extensive touring with the one album – too much filler such as You’re Hot, predictable high and low points at each show – but again, their energy is enough to keep things compelling.

One aspect that will remain with SSS regardless of new material, however, is the fact that singer Connie Mitchell, or Miss Connie as she is best known, is the most compelling thing about them. Their show ebbs and flows depending on how involved she is in a song, as her powerful vocals and undeniably presence take the group’s dance grind to another level, particularly on strong songs like the ubiquitous singles UFO, I Love It and Pictures. It has been admitted by the group that they were struggling to break out of their initial niche within the dance community before Mitchell, previously with Primary, began to add her pipes to their sound. In effect that is an admission of what is plainly obvious during their shows, and never moreso than at Thebarton: MC Double D (Daimon Downey) is an energetic but pedestrian rhymer/singer/front man, and so the more that Mitchell can be integrated into the group’s every song, the better they will be. This fact was strongly underlined at the conclusion of the main set, as a storming rendition of UFO brought the crowd to a greater pitch of excitement than at any other time. All eyes were on Mitchell, but to one side was Downey, who also had a spotlight on him but was being watched by a mere handful of the several thousand in attendance.

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