Live Review: Beach House, Hatchie

Needless to say, the anticipation for dream-pop pioneers Beach House was palpable. It had been three years since Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally graced our shores. Now, with drummer James Barone and fresh LP 7 in tow, this was the only place to be on Monday night.

Opening act Hatchie glided onto the blue-streaked stage with easy grace. For the early comers, her appeal was instant: a blending of folky vocals, slow and meditative bass lines and earthy, reverb-thick guitar. Billed as “the dream pop idol of tomorrow” by Pitchfork, the Brisbane artist did not disappoint. Songs like Without A Blush were upbeat and romantic with an uplifting tone. The excitement built in the crowd as the background instrumentals conjured images of Hawaii, compelling people to picture palm tree-brimmed beaches.

What better way to celebrate a dreamy evening than Beach House beginning their set with a sea of white? Revellers stood mesmerised by the monochrome light as Beach House opened with Levitation from 2015 LP, Depression Cherry.

The sound of an arpeggio, followed by a reactionary joyful scream, cued the next song before the theatre was inundated by blue light. An ethereal haze washed over the crowd as the Baltimore-born outfit raised the bpms to create an awe-inspiring atmosphere, mixed with strobes and ear-splitting feedback.

They continued with the monochromatic theme, this time backlighting the stage with an orange wall of light, turning the band into shadows. Angelic and exuberant refrains melded well with sweeping and melodic keys and meandering drums on Space Song.

An aqua light accompanied by mystical lyrics transported us to some dewy glade in a far off dream world. Then the visuals became large painted eyes on a mesmerising loop. A reverie-rousing stream of rainbow lights spilt forth, before returning to the omniscient eyes and the band's final song. An organ sounded and a cry went up, the lyrics and the melody a nostalgic combination - it was clear this was going to be Walk In The Park.

Through the night, a collective joy swallowed the crowd up; the audience was unified by the simple yet exuberant, and mysterious alchemy of the band.

Editor's note: This review has been modified, it originally referred to Myth as the opening track. That error has been amended.