Live Review: Odesza, Yahtzel, Feki

Seattle electronic music wunderkinds Odesza kicked off their string of Metro Theatre dates with an energetic, masterful performance for an easily-pleased crowd, who would probably have settled for less.

The 'weirdo' music fans who came down early were treated to a smattering of diverse, glistening EDM from the likes of QLD producer Feki — who kept it pretty chill and melodic to kick things off — and Illawarra-based producer Yahtzel, who skewed sensory with his seamless blend of diced vocal samples and sunny-day synths.

By the time Odesza hit the stage the venue was well and truly crammed full, and it's relatively safe to assume that people were wishing that they were either high as fuck or extraordinarily patient and forgiving; heavy-petting couples were scattered liberally throughout the crowd, drifting somewhere between second and third base with their fiery brand of ESD (Electronic Sex Dancing). Unluckiest were the punters who became part of the charade by-proxy. Sadly, the venue weren't offering refunds for pre-occupied couples who were too involved in their own thing to catch the show — hindsight may have revealed that much more economical enjoyment could have been had at home with an iPod dock and some Johnson & Johnson massage oil.

How about the music, grandpa? The duo's blend of pounding live drums cut through the mix and added a much needed depth and fullness to the sound. The Metro's speaker system is known for occasionally missing the boat with heavier rock tunes, but it was absolutely in its element here. To the credit of the attentive section of the audience, the duo's older tunes were given just as much credence as obvious hits like Say My Name and My Friends Never Die.

Odesza's live dynamic opens up the door to a fuller-bodied, more complex sound that relatively few electronic artists have been able to crack; for less musically inclined members of the crowd, there was a massive-ass confetti cannon — everyone's a winner.