Animal Collective @ The EnmoreTheatre, Sydney (11/12/09)

Mon 14th Dec, 2009 in Gig Reviews

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

Animal Collective sure know how to draw a crowd. With people seeping into every nook and cranny of the Enmore Theatre, the dancefloor throng was packed so tightly you really had to know what you were doing if you were going to manoeuvre your way through.

It makes sense though. With eight LPs under their belt – and the latest Merriweather Post Pavilion having left minds freshly blown – expectations were considerable. Against a backdrop framed by veiny trees and giant jungle blooms crowning a skinny-armed, bleary-eyed woman and a Cheshire-striped crustacean, the trio hunched over their assorted instruments to belt out a robust wall of psychedelic hymns.

Opening through a thick purple haze with the jittery percussion and muted birdcalls of Also Frightened, Noah – œPanda Bear’ Lennox and Dave ‘Avey Tare’ Portner’s disarmingly powerful harmonised vocals could easily fill a room twice the size. The audience was primarily made up of those who would take everything in with a kind of rigid concentration, but occasionally you’d see some tripped-out fan swaying and punching the air in their own private circle of euphoria.

The set was typically tied together with thunderous bass explosions, rollicking percussion rattles or piercing showers of synth as the headlamp-wearing Brian – œGeologist’ Weitz flicked out the various woody taps and clicks.

The more pop-friendly tracks such as My Girls, which followed Summertime Clothes’ upbeat vibe and Guys Eyes’ curious insect whirrs, stood up the best in a live setting; where a strong, familiar melody makes up for lyrics lost and incoherent in the constant wave of sound. Old favourite Fireworks – once recognisable – was a definite crowd-pleaser, Portner alternating between ducking, weaving, and lurching around the microphone stand and balling himself up over his keyboard.

They brought the song home with a stampede of percussion and spiralling synths, which were certainly phenomenal and brilliantly pieced together, but sort of felt like the more ambient version of those overlong rock jams that seem more fun for the band than for the audience. The longer the intervals between the well-known tracks were dragged out, the more they tended to feel slightly self-indulgent, which made bathroom and bar breaks mid-song not such an issue.

Another big single, Peacebone, was brought in with an extended introduction featuring otherworldly echoes and #1’s gushing keyboard cascade, which melted into the song’s cheerful throbbing bassline. It was only until the band stopped briefly before the encore that you realise just how all-consuming and seamless their sound really is.

The encore brought one of the definite highlights of the night, Lennox mesmerising the room with his gorgeous, drawn-out vocals in the haunting, tangled lullaby that is Daily Routine. An Animal Collective live set is certainly something you have to experience at least once in your life.