Live Review: Gypsy & The Cat, Fishing

There seemed to be a bit of mystery surrounding tonight's supporting act, since there was no listing to be found anywhere in the local press prior Sydney-based electronic duo Fishing coming to the stage and introducing themselves. Positioned behind a table bustling with wired devices, a mini synth, drum pads and a laptop, Doug and Russell set the night off with a selection of mixed-up electronic beats that rendered a positive vibe. There was a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour about their music, with chipmunk-like rapping in track three, and low-tone vocoder profanities overdubbing the glitched-up sound. The audience seemed a little bemused at first, but after a few tracks, the room started to get the feel of things and bob along to the enlightening rhythms.  Blending all sorts of styles from urban hip hop to almost Caribbean beats, the set was bookmarked by a progressive computer game theme track. During the performance the duo were fully engaged in crafting their live show, displaying frantic synchronised polyrhythmic drumming on the pads and mashing up tweaked-out synth bass lines. On a whole Fishing were a pleasant surprise and thoroughly entertaining start to the night.

The dimly lit venue was set to go, with only a psychedelic video projection to illuminate the headliner act Gypsy & The Cat, who entered the stage to approving cheers from the surprisingly small crowd and started with Zombie World, one of the many songs to feature from their latest album The Late Blue. Drifting phased guitars over lead vocalist Xavier Bacash's airy voice, the opening number set the night off into the familiar indie dreamy pop territory that Gypsy are renowned for. The upbeat guitar riffs and synth-laden track Bloom was up next before the melodic pop overture and hit single Piper Song from the first album Gilgamesh, which gave the attentive audience something more familiar get into. Time To Wonder displayed the band's well-rehearsed and focused performance skills, and had the onlookers singing along in unison to this classy synth pop track. The band has, with their second album, moved into a slightly more mature musical realm with deeper sounds that stray from the pure pop appeal of the early works.  Nevertheless, the fans were well up for the new tracks taking prominence, and showed their enthusiasm to the mid-set songs Only In December and Broken Kites back to back with another familiar sing-a-long hit Running Romeo, which received welcome applause. Slowing down the tempo and displaying some of the new direction the band has been heading towards, a distinctively early '90s indie feel was apparent in the songs Soul Kiss and Human Desire, giving off a trippy shoe-gaze vibe that contrasted well with the lively pop style from earlier. The music in the venue was mixed brilliantly, giving a crisp wide sound with subtle effects that oozed all the quality of the studio recorded works. It was no surprise the audience were itching to hear the hit Jona Vark. The final song had the diehard fans gleaming with delight, ending a quality Friday night's entertainment.