Emerging from the shadows into a light show spectacular, it’s a good few minutes of beeps and bleats before Sydney trio Jagwar Ma boot up into full performance mode.
Using electronics alongside their live instrumentation to bolster their sound, they’re successors to the likes of Justice, Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem but fuse acid house and rave with elements of baggy, elements of Madchester and some pretty hefty chant-rock choruses thrown in there for good measure. That’s most evident in their piece de resistance, Uncertainty, which the band opt for second in the set and which sets the precedent for the night. It’s wonderful.
The Throw and Come Save Me follow, cementing the suspicion that these boys have something people want. It ain’t pop but it has the potential to be and it’s carried off with the panache to be incredibly popular en masse. From the reaction of the room tonight, they’ve already begun to make that dent. At times the vocals of guitarist Gabriel Winterfield waver slightly but not enough to detract from the overall effect.
Afterwards, the crowd are gushing, and rightly so – it’s almost a festival performance. If you’re catching Jagwar Ma somewhere sunny over the summer months, prepare for one hell of a party.
Photos: Rob Hadley
