Animal Collective

Just returned from the Animal collective gig and it was rather resplendent all round despite not exactly feeling 100% up for it. The day had been a wipe out due to the usual Thursday night/ Friday morning events but for the first time since leaving home i actually felt proper rough all day, i did manage to pull it together around seven and then head out to find where the gig was it. The venue was named the Enmore Theater and situated; coming off the train i was immediately met by scores of police and sniffer dogs so i guess they stake the station out every time there's a gig on to deter touts and drugs, not the worst of ideas bearing in mind how stupid the police usually are. After passing through the "blockade" I could tell that this area was much more my scene and a lot different to the rest of Sydney i've seen with the exception of my initial foray into Paddington. There was just as many bars, cafes and people there but the place seemed a lot more laid back and there was a definite change in atmosphere. I'd say it's like drinking around Central rather than the bigg market or Quayside, the clientèle were much more "my people" too. The theatre had a capacity of about 1600 and was a great venue for this type of gig, just the right size, well laid out so it wasn't too wide or narrow and the sound was spot on too. I was sitting on the balcony and quite happy to do so as i'd probably not have been able to stand for any length of time.
Usually I try to avoid support acts as a rule since they tend to just bum you out while waiting for the main act, I can't really think of anyone ever who's made me want to pick up their album or see them again live; saying that The Mooney Suzuki played their part to perfection when they supported Kings at Northumbria Uni. It really was a sad day for the north east when the academy opened. Anyway a New Zealand girl going as Bachelorette was supporting and she actually turned out to be quite charming. Her setup was fairly typical of others these days utilizing keyboards, drum machines, loops, laptops, image projections et al and doing it all just be herself. I wouldn't say she was extraordinary but she played her part well and i definitely appreciated what she played, i'd definitely look her up again if she was playing a festival i was at.
It's taken me awhile to get into Animal Collective as there was a lot of hype surrounding them and i prefer to find stuff in my own time, however since i've left for traveling i've been playing them a lot and was quite curious to see them as i couldn't imagine them having the usual guitar, bass and mic set up. I have no idea what they actually were using to play the songs, as it seemed to be all electronic with the ocassional guitar and one drum but it was quite amazing how well they created the tunes with such little to use. The show was brilliant and they took advantage of having a small stage by using great lighting and a simple set up which really added to the music visually too. My only slight criticism is the same one i always have in that i think they played a bit too long, most people disagree with me wanting "value for money" but i just think if you trim a few "ok" songs it really makes the difference to the set. If you're going to see a big act like Springsteen or U2 then obviously you'd want an at least 2 hour greatest hits set but i think too many band stretch it out. Other than that great gig though, I couldn't really say any highlights as i'm useless with song titles since i just leave the album rolling. I'm going to try and hunt out the set list though as there was a few brilliant tracks i'd never heard before. One thing i must say at that Animal Collective are truly unique, most bands are derivative of others but they really do stand on their own i think. Off to Howling Bells Next! *Setlist Here