Looking for an ideal way to cap off the week? Hoping this isn’t the transcript from a cheap infomercial pushing therapeutic footbaths? Well, you’re in luck. Decked out with beanbags, an intimate stage and positioned wonderfully far away from the drunkards, the Little Creatures Loft is pretty much the cosiest and soothing gig venue you’ll find on a Sunday night, especially if it’s being inhabited by the Melbourne-based loop wizard known as Pikelet and an assortment of talented local acts, as well as a respectful audience who knew better than to talk during the performances they had paid to see (a simple attitude that we need to see more of in Perth).

At 7pm the newly-formed Erasers hit the stage, marking the first of three bands in Pikelet’s support line. Easily the best support act of the night, and astounding considering it was their first gig, Erasers nailed high looping guitar lines over marching, repetitive drum rhythms and long, undulating waves of synth to the effect of creating something that was an almost paradoxical fusion of the mystic and the militant. The vocalist, for the most part, kept her voice solemn and appropriately deadpan (considering the calm yet concentrated energy of the music it accompanied) but on occasion, as in the fourth song of the set, she elevated (along with the drums) to something more akin to an enchanted wailing, proving that she did indeed wield a voice, and that should probably use it more often, considering it was their best song of the night.

Next up was Felicity Groom, who for this gig had forsaken most of her backing band (the Black Black Smoke) for a two-piece set-up with guitarist, Andrew Ryan. With her booming voice, weird retro hand gestures, the murky red light of the Loft, and Ryan’s involved, quirky guitar style, it was like watching one of the performing acts out of a bar in Twin Peaks – that is, an elegant and partially surreal performance. Following Groom came Rabbit Island (a.k.a. Amber, as her myspace tells) accompanied on a couple of songs by the insanely talented percussionist Matt Volplane. Certainly the songs that were bolstered by Volplane’s drumming stood out the most, as well as the second of the two songs in which Amber hit the organ and Volplane backed her, where, similar to Erasers, she sang rather than merely spoke in a sing-song way.

The room was almost full by the time Pikelet took to the stage. Utilizing a loop station as her central instrument, and with a skill to match Hendrix (except on a different axe), Pikelet was able to wield the power of an entire band, summoning up a wall of repetitive but enchanting sounds through the integration of tambourines, flute calls, hand claps, keys, and a floor tom, amongst many other items. The standout song of the night had to be the fifth (apparently written recently while on tour in New Zealand), which featured huge, echoing blasts of tribal percussion (ala the looping of a floor tom) and her voice at its most resounding, as if she were unravelling the lyrics from the peak of Mt. Aoraki itself. Pikelet’s skill with the loop station really showed through. The best representation of this came in the last song where she built everything to a loop-drenched crescendo and then, for the final verse, allowed every sound to suddenly drop away except for the real, unlooped tambourine in her hand, clapping away, and her voice, completely bare, a step away from the mic. Since no one in the audience was talking (see: stunned silence) the effect was really powerful, and it’s no wonder everyone called for an encore.