Live Review: Flight Facilities, The Kite String Tangle

The Kite String Tangle opened with a cracking set, getting straight into it. The solo project of Danny Harley, he was backed by a drummer on stage and did not take long to enrapture the crowd, who were still pouring in throughout the set.

They opened with his new single, Give It Time, whetting the crowd's appetite for his sound. Harley's voice rang out over the music, with Waiting acting as a perfect vessel to showcase the aching purity of his vocals.

The drummer performed a sensational drum solo, bringing up the tempo to guide them into Selfish, which was truly outstanding. They finished up their set with triple j smash hit, Arcadia, followed by a remix of Fat Boy Slim's Praise You, which the crowd ate up. TKST were a bloody cool opener and well worth rocking up earlier for.

There didn't seem much time between sets and soon the lights dimmed and the distorted flight announcements began, signalling that our journey was about to begin. Flight Facilities, (aka Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell) emerged in their pilot uniforms amid a feast of smoke and lights, centre stage on their now-legendary 'flight deck'.

After a short intro, Flight Facilities launched into Need You, sung by long-term collaborator Owl Eyes, who stuck around for two tracks before wandering off the stage. The music never stopped, with the boys performing masterful transitions between tracks, their groove silhouetted against a backdrop of a dazzling light display. A coconut tropical beat morphed into the classic dance track, Merimbula. To the delight of all, Nick Broadhurst (Sneaky Sound System) came on stage for a sax solo.

Owl Eyes returned to sing Stand Still, the crowd chirpily joining for the chorus, "I love you and I always will". Flight Facilities then started a Stronger (Kanye West) mix, which evolved into their own classic tune Sunshine, sung by Ric Rufio. Rufio also fronted a cover of Jamiroquai's You Give Me Something, which was so flawless it felt made for the team.

Flight Facilities began fan-favourite Clair De Lune by playing the opening notes of Claude Debussy's classical piece of the same name, before seamlessly transitioning into their own haunting version — again fronted by Owl Eyes. Owl Eyes stopped singing at one point to ask the audience to wave their phones like lighters, creating our own light show.

They started winding up a sensory set with With You, Rufio leading a receptive ground in 'getting down'. Both Rufio and Owl Eyes came back for the encore to sing Stranded together. Then, the song everyone was waiting for and knew was coming: Crave You. Broadhurst came out at the end, finishing a supercharged set with another sax solo.

After giving thanks to Sydney and their collaborators (and by all indicators ending the show), Flight Facilities then said they'd like to pay their respects to someone else and started playing Respect — a tribute to the late, so-very-great Aretha Franklin. Broadhurst performed a stellar impromptu solo, concluding an electric evening on a soaring high.