Review: alt-J at HBF Stadium 

alt-J at HBF Stadium
w/ Royel Otis
Sunday, May 7, 2023 

alt-J have felt the weight of expectation since exploding onto the scene in 2012 with their world-beating album An Awesome Wave – a fresh, exciting debut, full of great songs, intricate arrangements, harmonic vocals and unique sounds. It was good enough to win them the prestigious Mercury Prize, which saw overexcited zealots eager to label them The Next Big Thing or The Next Radiohead. They were catapulted onto the global stage and entered a year of intense touring – honing their sound and gaining many accolades, including Breezeblocks taking out the No. 3 spot in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2012 (it probably should have been No. 1, only beaten by Of Monsters and Men and Macklemore).

After the huge success of their debut, the difficult second album This Is All Yours, released the following year, aimed to capitalise on the fame, seemed to miss the mark mostly, as they tried to recreate the magic, and dealt with a band member leaving. On their third album RELAXER they tried hard to push themselves in different directions with little success – even releasing a remix album featuring some top hip hop MCs. A bold, artistic experiment, but on the whole, it didn’t quite work. 

With the next album, it was crucial they hit the mark and played to their strengths. alt-J have always possessed an almost indefinable quality that makes them special. They don’t sound like anyone else and pull from a diverse range of influences. The original four members all met studying at Leeds University and started playing around with a unique fusion of indie guitar rock with modern electronic production, as well as more classical elements of chamber music, English folk, choir harmonies, with the odd bit of Gregorian chanting.  

Their sound was always enigmatic and mysterious. The name of the band itself is ambiguous. alt-J is actually the Mac keyboard shortcut for the Greek alphabet Delta triangle symbol, which in itself is used in mathematics to represent change in a variable. Suffice to say they’re an intelligent band who put a lot of thought into their music.  

Their latest album, 2022’s The Dream was a welcome return to form. Easily their best since their debut, they seemed to have rediscovered their mojo and the exotic, dark allure that captured people’s attention in the first place. And have also taken onboard more broad influences such as blues, funk and house into their typically English eccentric sound, with immaculately produced, well-crafted songs. 

The album came out last year and their Australian tour was originally scheduled for September last year, but was postponed, so it was good to finally see the band back in Perth – at the end of a national tour. As an added treat, they also played Groovin The Moo down in Bunbury the night before. Though with many fans attending that festival, this also seemed to contribute to a smaller crowd at HBF Stadium.   

Royel Otis scored the national support slot for the alt-J tour, also playing GTM. The young Sydney band have made a big impact in the last couple years. The core duo and namesake of the band are Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, and they have a distinct sound and know how to write a tune. Their potential has been noticed and they’ve had the opportunity to tour and record around the UK and Europe, working with several high-profile producers.  

Coming on round 8pm, they had a decent crowd and showed everyone why they’re such a hyped band at the moment. Their songs are catchy and their on-stage energy infectious, with the audience giving them a warm reception. 

The title track from their just released EP Sofa King is a joyous tune and features the repeated passionate refrain “You’re so fucking gorgeous.” Jangly guitars with insistent driving riffs, and glorious, carefree vocals. It was their first time in Perth, though one of the guys said he grew up here. It seemed like they’d been having a great tour and making the most of it, with a fairly loose vibe onstage and band talking over each other between songs. 

While the core duo are behind the songs, as a live unit the band features two guitars, drums and a keyboardist (who added synth harmonics, bass and vocals, but was hidden in the darkness stage-left). Their sound is a mix of youthful garage rock and indie, with shimmering synths and guitars, and sun-drenched, reverb-soaked vocals – recalling the retro rock ‘n’ roll vibes of bands like The Drums, Beach Fossils and Real Estate. 

The lights went down, and surprisingly, Beck’s Loser blasted out from the speakers. As it finished, alt-J came on and took their places on their respective platforms, launching into Bane, the first song of the new album. A beautiful opener and somewhat of an opus, the song twists and turns forebodingly before changing completely half-way through. 

Touring now as a three-piece, each one of the members is essential and a core part of the sound. This was emphasised by the staging, with the three members on separate raised platforms, in front of an impressive and dynamic lighting rig, that could offer minimal stripes, or full blown technicolour explosions. 

Joe Newman on guitar (and sometimes bass) and that distinct voice of his. Gus Unger-Hamilton really drives the music from behind his banks of keyboards, playing heavy synth bass, as well as sparkling melodies and samples – also lending some wonderful, delicate harmonies on the vocals. And Thom Sonny Green is a machine behind the drum kit, issuing forth all manner of intricate rhythms.  

Every Other Freckle was next, probably the best song off their sophomore album and the atmosphere really started to build at this point. The Actor is another highlight from the new album. A wonky electro jam infused with guitar breaks, it’s a Hollywood character study, with its chorus “Why do I keep on returning to you? Co-caine.” 

“Thanks for coming here on the last night of our Aus tour. Let's fucking have it!” Gus said from behind the keys, in an enthusiastic, yet slightly posh way. They picked up the volume with Deadcrush one of the best songs off the more experimental RELAXER, with its fat electronic beats. 

The amazing Tesselate sounds as lush and great as it did when you first heard it, and as on the album, they preceded it with the incredible harmonic chanting of Interlude I (Ripe & Ruin). 

A highlight from the new album U&ME was delivered with dark, moody energy and classic alt-J choral flourishes. While there were moments where they missed a beat or a harmonic note – after a full national tour and a festival the night before, the band were still incredibly polished and tight. 

There was a great big crowd singalong for the wonderful Matilda, highlighting the awesome drumming. The driving, trancy electronic workout Chicago provided a thrilling and dramatic interlude with its heavy beat that built to a peak before cutting out abruptly. Then another classic with Something Good.  

They thanked Royel Otis for supporting them on their tour. “They've been great. I think we'll have to have a beer after the show. If we must! This is Bloodflood!” Unger-Hamilton announced introducing the next track. And you knew they were gonna have a big one that night. 

Philadelphia is new track that rewards with multiple listens and sounded great live, with its interesting old female vocal sample. They mentioned how they had been doing the 10 year anniversary tour of An Awesome Wave – playing the album in full in other cities. While we didn’t get that specifically, they still played the bulk of their debut. “We’re not doing that full show here, but we’ll give you a taster by playing three Awesome Wave tracks back-to-back!”  

The high flutey melody and rumbling bass of Dissolve Me was quite dramatic, climaxing in the amazing a cappella harmony outro. Another one of their greatest tracks, Fitzpleasure still hits hard with its stop start dynamics and chanting – a retelling of Hubert Selby Jr.'s short story Tralala. It was a fine one to end the set on and bid the crowd goodnight.  

But of course there was more. The first encore was Hard Drive Gold – one of the more dubious singles from the new album. Quite poppy and cheesy, it sounded slightly more redeeming and heavier live.  

Another big early track, the bluesy Left Hand Free is one of their most traditional rock sounding tracks and sounded great live with heavy guitar. And then of course for the big finale, was Breezeblocks – still their greatest track, with its climatic ending that builds and builds with increasing ferocity, with both Newman and Unger-Hamilton repeating the overlapping hook with rising urgency “Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole, I love you so, I love you so.” It’s still as gripping a moment as when it was first released and the crowd standing at the front accordingly went off as they sang along. They even extended the outro by a couple bars for added dramatic effect. 

For a while there it seemed like alt-J would never fulfil the promise of their first album, but with The Dream, they have come close, and now possess an expansive back catalogue that allows them to put together a solid setlist. They seem a new, reinvigorated band. Living the dream. 

ALFRED GORMAN 

Photos by Travis Hayto