Live Review: D.D Dumbo, Jonti, Bus Vipers

One thing is for sure: Oliver Hugh Perry (aka DD Dumbo) is one quirky creature. Wide-eyed facial expressions and cringeworthy crowd banter were aplenty at his show last night, but it's the Victorian artist's very eccentricity that has manifested in the acclaimed music and captured the hearts of many (including this critic, for the record).

Backed by bright lights and whimsical visual projections, Perry took us on a journey through his inventive mind, performing hypnotic tunes from his long-gestated debut album Utopia Defeated.

This is his first headline tour with a full band in tow (replacing his beloved loop pedal), but they look and sound like they've been playing together for a lifetime; masterfully interchanging instruments from drums, synths and guitars, to clarinets, trumpets and wooden flutes. We particularly enjoyed watching Perry intermittently strike a wind chime for extra percussive effect.

Perry opened with the pulsing soundscapes and psychedelic cries of Walrus setting the tone for the evening: an exploration of intricate, abstract sounds. His versatility shone through with In The Water and Toxic City, both bring a blend of delicate ballads into the mix.

The crowd were previously warmed up by experimental, multi-instrumental support acts Bus Vipers and Jonti, but were well and truly mesmerised by the main act. Bodies swayed in unison as Perry navigated his way through 12 spectral tracks, overlaid with Perry's fragile, yet feverish croon.

Since D.D Dumbo was nearly half-hour late taking to the stage, there was a slight sense of the set being rushed to obey venue curfew. Little time for banter, and certainly no time for an encore. He did, however, close with the emotionally climactic Brother to wondrous applause, and that was good enough for us.