Coming towards the end of their national tour for the release of their fourth studio album, Lake Air, Sydney’s Dappled Cities were nothing short of impressive and clearly in good form from their run of recent shows.
Irish electro duo Jape, the brainchild of Richie Egan (and joined by Glenn Keating), surprised everyone with their poppy synth dance tunes. It certainly seemed slightly out of place in the traditional rock venue of the Corner Hotel but the constant thumping bass most definitely had everyone’s attention.
Despite some tentativeness from the crowd, Jape eventually convinced them to come forward towards the stage and engage in some seriously cheesy hands-in-the-air dance moves, taking tracks from their latest effort Ocean Of Frequency.
It was important that the band didn’t take themselves too seriously and were able to convey the sense of fun they were having on stage, ending the set with ‘Floating’ from their 2008 record Ritual Album.
Dappled Cities are a formidable live band, mixing their electronic elements seamlessly in with live instrumentation. Not only are they incredibly talented musicians but their live show is also accompanied by exciting visuals and, most importantly, the band bring tonnes of energy on stage.
The vocals of Dave Rennick and Tim Derricourt were absolutely spot on, not to mention the incredible beat keeping of drummer Allan Kumpulainen.
Tracks from the latest record went down a treat. ‘Lake Air’ was particularly enjoyable as was the guest appearance of Glenn Keating from Jape for brand new single ‘Born At The Right Time’, which has clearly benefited from radio love.
Despite one ill-timed piano ballad in the last half, the set moved along nicely, building towards an extraordinarily powerful finish. The tail end begun with ‘The Price’, their single from 2009’s Zounds. Beginning with the bouncing bass of Alex Moore, as the familiar synth line came in the crowd was bouncing in unison, matching every bit of energy the band was producing.
Without question the highlight of the set was the closer, ‘Run With The Wind’. It was nothing short of explosive, with the band playing at their absolute best, the stage aesthetics working perfectly with the jagged vocal echoes of Rennick.
Certainly one of the strongest tracks off the latest album it really showed how incredible Dappled Cities can be in the live setting, both visually and sonically.
Of course after such a blistering set, more was wanted and again they delivered with an encore of ‘Cream’, from their debut record A Smile, however it couldn’t match ‘Run With The Wind’ and the set really should have ended there on its highest point.
Despite that, Dappled Cities have truly staked their claim as one of Australia’s best live acts.
