Live Review: Dungen, Nicholas Allbrook, Dream Rimmy

Dungen and Tame Impala go way back, as our local heroes turned global conquerors have toured with and sought advice from Dungen's main man Gustav Ejstes in the past. The relationship entered another chapter tonight as Kevin Parker made a rare appearance as DJ Defs Worthit, spinning tunes in between the bands. For the most part he kept a low profile in the corner, while unearthing some surprising '90s hip hop selections. Verily, he was "killing [us] softly" with a Fugees-friendly mix, although some righteous James Brown and Serge Gainsbourg cuts saved the day.

With the likes of Fait and French Rockets, Perth is developing a bona fide shoegazing scene, and you can add Dream Rimmy, who flattened early birds under their six-piece wall of sound, to that number. Bulldozer guitars laid the foundations while the optimistic bubblegum melodies of Landslide were an effective counterfoil - yet another young band to keep an eye on.

Fresh from his duties with Pond at Gizzfest last weekend, Nicholas Allbrook awed and confused his expectant followers. There were some inspired bursts of unusual sound here and there, but the sheer randomness of his songs — together with his manically twitchy stage persona that's half Bowie, half Yahoo Serious — made it hard to tell if it wasn't all some elaborate Andy Kaufman-style joke. Judging by the unrestrained chatter throughout the second half of his set, it would be fair to say he lost the crowd.

Unfailingly polite, and quite softly spoken, Ejstes of Dungen thanked everyone before leading his band into a beautifully intimate set. Despite some monitor problems and equipment issues, which necessitated a five-minute break mid-set for repair, the band seemed mostly untroubled, quite serene in fact. Dungen played with much freedom and improvised heaps, with Du E For Fin For Mig drifting so far from the source material that it may as well have been another song. As the centre of attention, Ejstes appeared relaxed and absorbed in the singular sounds he was conjuring from some ancient-looking electronic keys and flute. Dungen are hardly reinventing the wheel, but as the cheers greeted the unmistakable main riff to Fredag and the unexpected grooves of Mina Damer Och Fasaner they were briefly transformed into the spacey-est garage band imaginable. No one else is capable of capturing the magic that they do.