Live Review: alt-J, New Gods

Strangers with pleading eyes greet each punter headed for the entrance of Ding Dong and ask, “Do you know anyone wanting to sell their ticket?” No one does. In fact, everyone here has a friend (or friends) who missed out. Melbourne supergroup New Gods open to a swelling room, at times channeling a Twerps/Real Estate vibe, but mostly serving their own taste of danceable alt.pop that's instantly addictive. Made up of members from Little Red, Eagle & The Worm and Ground Components, the collaborative venture feels like a natural progression for the gang, marrying their sounds to produce one hell of a hooky setlist that's well worthy of tonight's hot support slot.

In between bands, Massive Attack's Teardrop pulsates behind a thick layer of chatter and buzz. After what feels like hours (but what is actually only 30 minutes) all four members of Alt-J arrive to a rapturous room and open with the aptly titled Intro, the perfect prelim of steady beats, haunting keys and lead singer Joe Newman's mellow vocals. A sea of hands charge into the air and make the delta sign, the bands logo (derived from holding 'alt' and 'j' down on a Mac keyboard). Interlude I follows and a smile snakes across the faces of each member as the crowd hurtle every lyric into the air.

For a band that's played some of Europe's best music festivals, the Leeds quartet is incredibly humble, continually thanking the crowd between playing tracks off their 2012 debut LP An Awesome Wave. It's impossible not to dance to the rolling beats in Something Good, a folk/tribal/pop flow that creates a ripple across the room. Newman needn't bother singing during Dissolve Me; the crowd does it for him, to which the band responds by swapping can-you-believe-how-awesome-this-is looks. A surprise hip hop mash-up of Kylie Minogue's Slow with Dr Dre's sparkling keys from Still D.R.E (awesome) further proves their ability to genre-cross with ease, as does their own Fitzpleasure which, again, is met by a wild room. Newman attempts a breather with, “I'm sweating like a bitch!” but the crowd doesn't budge, reserving the biggest applause for the standout Breezeblocks. They return for the inevitable encore, playing Tara to round up the night.

There is no distance, no gap that needs bridging between band and crowd, just an overall rapturous vibe from start to finish. Take it from this golden-ticketholder – if given the chance, this is one live act you cannot afford to miss.