Live Review: Prince Rama, NO ZU

The temporary plywood box that is this year's festival hub is barely half full with fans that are keen to let their hair down and get their groove on. No Zu come to us in all kinds of shades of funkiness with a hyperkinetic disco punk, no-wave noise and a touch of urban tribalism that gets the crowd jumping. It takes three percussionists to turn the beat around, unleashing all kinds of tom-tom, bongo and cowbell madness on the unsuspecting crowd. Synths, bass and shrill blasts of Nicolaas Oogjes' trumpet fill out a rough and raw mix with an insistent thump that compels us to dance. Proud of a new effects pedal, which makes him sound like Darth Vader, Oogjes threatens to overuse it all night long 'til Daphne Shum sarcastically exclaims, “Yeah, sure, just cut right through the mix with your deep voice”. Playing songs off their album Life and some new tunes such as YaYa, No Zu ignite a party that even has Prince Rama and their friends bumping and grinding among the crowd.

Resplendent in shiny silver and gold outfits, the Larson sisters take to the stage with big smiles and tell us that they are going to play a short movie they made before coming back to kick some. The movie is called Never Forever and it's a slick excursion into another dimension that looks and feels like early Paul Verhoeven sci-fi crossed with the spaced-out cosmic surrealism of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Wearing outfits that might have been designed by the costumier of the anime flick Heavy Metal, the duo journey across the universe revealing cosmic truths and generally have fun while treating us to a megamix of their tunes. It's fabulously nonsensical and while many are trying to comprehend what they have just seen, the ladies return to the stage and start their live set with Exercise Ecstasy. Showcasing tunes off last year's Top 10 Hits Of The End Of The World, it seems that Prince Rama have left behind chanting in the temple to arrive at their glam Xanadu moment in the lo-fi cosmic roller disco of the gods. It's impossible to resist these beguiling sirens as they deal blissed-out vibes with songs such as Those Who Live For Love Will Live Forever and Welcome To The Now Age. There is nothing to do but dance along with fans who, like their idols, are covered in glitter and plastic jewels. Looking transported, Taraka Larson crowd-surfs the room. The show turns into a proper happening when they clear the floor to rub shoulders with the audience and slide into the dreamy arpeggiated electro disco of We Will Fall In Love Again before running out of the venue through the front door.

Eventually Prince Rama return to encore with No Zu in what turns out to be a monster jam. It's an unforgettable finale that takes out Melbourne Festival on a high.