Shirtless Mr Johns is wearing a suit; you can hear the collective knees of the females audience members buckle under the pressure. They open with ‘We’re Much Preferred Customers’. It’s slow dark and brooding, Daniel’s vocals immediately take your focus, as the band builds and weaves a musical tapestry behind them. With the absence of his guitar, Daniel keeps time with a cowbell, occasionally pointing his drumstick out into the audience like a magic wand. Perhaps pointing out the small number of people wearing Silverchair t-shirts?

They work through the album, redefining and shifting expectations. ‘Sleep Well Tonight’ sounds so beautifully emotional, his voice carrying so much. The crowd are stood in awe, amazed, unsure how to react. Daniel is totally at ease on stage, bantering with the crowd, even giving us his best cockney accent, proclaiming “Let’s hurry up, I’ve gotta get back to her indoors!” He stops during ‘Young Man, Old Man, (You Ain’t Better Than the Rest)’ to the let crowd sing the chorus.

Daniel’s pure exuberant energy ignites the crowd in a frenzy of passion, as he jumps around the stage, going all Hendrix (playing his guitar with his teeth). Paul and Daniel, have a wonderful creative chemistry. It’s a subtle affair onstage, their small glances to one another, showing how much they’re enjoying it.

We’re treated to two new songs, ‘Sleep All Day’ and ‘If You Keep Losing Sleep’. The latter explodes from the stage, rocking in a way you never expected, it then takes off into flight, turning utterly supersonic!

They finish with a cover of Tom Waite’s ‘Going Out West’. Now we all know Daniel Johns has a beautiful singing voice, but on this track he goes absolutely and truly demonic. His voice erupting from his throat, bursting into life of it’s own, I’ve never heard him sing which such utter power. It’s the sort of performance that would put Jonathan Davis or Marilyn Manson to shame, I can’t imagine them sounding anywhere near as menacing.

I really wasn’t sure if they could represent such a textured album live. Not only did they do it, they managed to defy expectations. If you only start listening to one new band this year, make it this one.
(5/5)

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Photo: Ryan Lee  Exclusive interview with The Dissociatives