Live Review: Imagine Dragons, British India

Local rockers British India set the bar high early on with their supercharged rock choruses full of howling vocals and catchy guitar riffs. Suddenly stirs up the moshpit and they praise long-time fans for their infinite memories of old favourite, Vanilla.

The sound of pounding drums builds excitement as Imagine Dragons take to the stage and fire Shots at us with full force. Their kinetic energy is intoxicating and frontman Dan Reynolds has an incredible presence as he hops up and down, reaching out to fans from the extended catwalk. They lift us up with inspiring alternative-rock anthems such as It's Time, which comes complete with beat-matching, thigh-to-chest slaps.

It's a special show for the Las Vegas-based band and they kick off the Australian leg of their Smoke + Mirrors tour with us tonight here in Melbourne. We feel pretty lucky when we're treated to the first-ever live performance of their fresh new track Roots, which was released just last week. The band take a short break and Reynolds carries on solo with a cover of Alphaville's Forever Young. The emotionally charged track showcases Reynolds' powerful, raspy vocals and he creates an interesting distorted vocal effect by waving the microphone up and down. Imagine Dragons then surprise us with another exclusive live song, especially for their Australian fans — a cover of Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning. They do a stellar job and the song inevitably encourages a few patriotic chants. We let loose when the guitars thunder into overdrive as the explosive I'm Sorry fires up with empowering vocal shouts and thrilling riffs. After a quick stretch, Reynolds jumps up to trigger samples of whistling and crashing waves, which kickstart the electrifying Gold. Percussion instruments elevate a notch for the feel-good On Top Of The World and a powerful drum solo progressively builds to an intense eruption for the fan favourite, Radioactive.

After letting us know this is the perfect way to start their Australian tour, the humble band promise they'll return to play for us any time provided we'll have them. Our arms are wide open and welcoming as Imagine Dragons end with an encore of The Fall before concluding with a final bow.