Live Review: Moon Duo, SaD

Electronic pop duo SaD, comprised of Simona Castricum and Daphne Camf from NO ZU, open up the night with a chill set of gothic electro-pop that timewarps back to the '80s. While New Order and Joy Division loom large in the shadows of the mix, there are hints of EBM, industrial music strangely combined with the joyous bounce of Yazoo. A sensuous cover of The Triffids' Raining Pleasure is a highlight of the set. Despite their insistent beats, Camf layers in a moody melancholy vibe with her lyrical content and somewhat dissonant vocals. 

Completely enclosed by sheer projection screens, Moon Duo look as though they are about to play in a large tent. As it turns out, this is necessary to catch the spectacular technicolour projections of the light show Emmanuel Biard has put together for them.

The sounds of nature, something we all need to connect with, introduce mellow drones that evolve into the chill groove of Flying. Touted as going disco on their last album Stars Are The Light, Moon Duo play material from the record with more of a dreamy cosmic vibe than actual disco bounce.

As the light show gets more frenetic the screens turn into a flickering rainbow of abstract colour that increasingly relies on good old fashioned, heavy-duty strobe effects. Comprised of Sanae Yamada on keys, Ripley Johnson on guitar and regular touring drummer John Jeffrey on drums, Moon Duo are actually a trio tonight. This is the kind of math that makes perfect sense in the dreamy psychedelic wonderland they create, making obsolete any desire we may have had to be mentored by a DMT shaman.

Primarily a showcase of their two most recent albums Stars Are The Light and Occult Architecture Vol 1, the second half of tonight’s setlist digs into more grinding and repetitive Kosmische. The simplicity of crunchy four-on-the-floor beats always feels good whether its decent techno or gritty rock. Moon Duo know this and their beats put us in the mood for dancing, but in a sit-down venue we are all constrained to polite toe-tapping. 

Fever Night and Lost Heads see them deal a more straight-up gritty psych-rock approach. A blistering version of Cult Of Moloch, arguably one of our favourite Moon Duo tracks, brings down the night ahead of encores. Shelving their penchant for musical experimentation, Moon Duo close with Sevens and their cover of Alan Vega's Jukebox Babe, which showcase the outfit at their most accessible - pushing out pretty standard verse and chorus songs that pop with catchy, hard to resist hooks. It’s a feelgood end to an evening that passes very quickly in their company.