The anticipation of the first down-under tour with a full Ladytron lineup was palpable, I was among those looking forward like a giddy child at Christmas to what would be a blistering show by everyone’s favourite synth-popsters who took leap forward in 2001 with their album 604.

After a dynamic support slot from Stockholm’s Familjen, also touring the country on the Parklife bill, a six-strong Ladytron took to the poky Richmond stage in front of a surprisingly diverse Thursday night crowd, launching early into Ghosts and Runaway with full throttle bass and synth overlayed with the haunting tag-team vocals of Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo.

This is a band who have undeniably moulded the electro-pop genre, and whose CV reads like a who’s who of music pioneers – working on their 2008 album Velocifero with Michael Patterson (Beck and P.Diddy) Vicarious Bliss (Ed Banger Records) and Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) as well as remixing for an eclectic bunch of profile artists including Bloc Party, Blondie, Goldfrapp, Placebo, Bonde do Role, Simian and Felix Da Housecat. However despite these phenomenal credentials which they’ve developed since forming in the early 2000s, the vulnerability and emotional connection present in their work to date didn’t seem quite there in the live show, with the band coming across at times rather reticent and bored. Throughout the show I had the feeling I was watching the band in a rehearsal session or at work in a studio, with members of the band blending into the pale-white backdrop behind the stage, and the drummer all but obscured.

Live music, in my view, is about a dialogue between the audience and the artist, and to me this wasn’t the case with the Ladytron show. Brilliant they certainly are, but more interaction and presence on stage would have made this good show great. However the enthusiasm of the crowd didn’t seem dampened, seeming for the most part satisfied to hear the effortless progression through guitar rock-inspired tracks like International Date-line and demonstrating their pop-sensibilities with Seventeen and pounding electro numbers like Deep Blue, with the textured wall of sound clearly putting the sound tech through his paces.

Ladytron definitely brought a hearty serve of multi-layered, textured, throat-rattling, synthesised goodness to the bustling corner, but at the end of the day the performance itself was two-dimensional and not engaging enough to be considered brilliant – and there seemed to be an impenetrable wall which separated the band from the enthusiastic masses. The mesmerising musical talent of the outfit who pioneered a distinct sound did not disappoint, and I was rewarded with seeing a great set which showcased the band’s range, style and remarkable ability to zig-zag between sub-genres of electro, dance and indie – but it wasn’t a particularly fascinating live show.