Gritty, twisting sounds clawed their way through the Corner band room and held the audience in strangled anticipation of the fat, bass vibrations to follow. But Grafton Primary took it slowly, adding only sprinkles of bass to decorate their vocal melody and bubbling colours of synthesized sound during the introduction of their set for their ‘Records of The Righteous’ tour.

Compared to the Hey Now DJ’s that had played out everyone’s favourite dance tracks in the space between Cassette Kids and Grafton Primary’s set, their introduction felt a bit conservative. The stage lighting buoyed their performance in the beginning and there was cause for concern that they wouldn’t step it up. But by about their fourth song any traces of doubt surrounding their ability to get your feet off the ground were slammed against the wall like the powerful punch of a Jackie Chan fight scene.

As the soft intro for Change started singer Joshua Garden said, “it’s so good to be back here,” and this feel-good sentiment plus the lyrics L-O-V-E got the sea of heads rippling as the knees below them bent up and down to the beat.

Hidden Cycle got a reaction from those in the crowd that knew them for more than their latest album. The combination of this and the shower of electronic sounds rose and folded in on themselves like rain washing away the heat of a high-pressure day.

Telling Lies had meaty, chunky combinations of base with a floating 80s guitar sound in the chorus. SOS Hello had a slower, determined pace, probably a welcome breather for the hard-dancing crowd and performers.

Records for the Righteous and Allstars really rattled that spot in right between your ribs and your skin where the vibrations of the base line set up camp and spread through your system like sinews of energy. As the crowd sung along to the feel-good lyrics of Allstars, one front-row reveler miraculously kept the beer in his pot glass as he pumped his hands in the air. But eyes were fixed on Grafton Primary who had the audience in a cocoon of electronic hiss and fuzz.

A highlight of the night was Garden’s Thunderbirds-style dancing with limbs and head fluid like an old-school hip-hop contortionist dancer. His black cap and singlet were teamed up with a thick red tie that came off when the set had heated up. The crowd was clearing about 10cm at some points as everybody jumped to the blend of kicking synth and grubby, dirty base.

Benjamin Garden was super focused on getting the sound right with his synth and keytar and had his poker face on during the more complex combinations. But when it was safe to stand back for a minute he had his – œhell yeah’ nod happening, the kind reserved for those glorious moments of appreciation you feel for electronica.

Though the vocals were drowned in the sound at some points, Grafton Primary found their groove in the second half of their set and delivered a healthy dose of Friday-night-enthusiasm to the bouncing bodies in front of them. They ended leaving the crowd sated yet salivating for more, even after two encore songs.

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