Live Review: Friendly Fires, Gold Fields

Gold Fields play some new material for us from their recently released second album Dalawa. It’s a short set but they give us a taste of their tantalising new wave aesthetics and woozy keyboard atmospherics with dreamy electronic vibes. It only takes a few minutes before we become fully immersed in their uplifting soundscape which draws us in deeper and deeper with every hook. The build-up of their expansive instrumental tracks washes over us like waves with hypnotic rhythms, rich textures and uplifting chords.

“We’ve missed you Melbourne, it’s good to be back,” says Friendly Fires’ lead singer Ed Macfarlane. The band are making a huge comeback after an eight-year hiatus and it’s not just about the nostalgia – they’re embarking on their next chapter with new music for us to fall in love with them all over again. They reach epic proportions within seconds of their first song as they serve up a huge dose of upbeat and energetic feelgood grooves for us to dance along to. Macfarlane holds nothing back as he channels every bit of joy and energy into his performance with some of the best dance moves you will ever witness. It’s impossible not to get lost in the moment with them and move along to their euphoric indie-disco melodies.

They dive straight into some of their biggest hits including Jump In The Pool and Skeleton Boy and the crowd is absolutely loving it. The mosh pit comes alive and feeds off the band’s unwavering infectious energy. Macfarlane may be losing his voice slightly, but he powers through as he holds two microphones between his hands and sings with every fibre of his being. They share a few new songs for us tonight, a couple we’ve heard before and some they’re only test-driving. The new material is infused with disco-heavy grooves and complemented by a live horn section for maximum effect.

After a few false starts they unleash a superb cover of the ‘80s classic house track Lack Of Love, originally by Charles B and Adonis, to ignite the dancefloor and take us to disco heaven with deep electro grooves. They’re just getting back into the swing of performing together live on stage again, so a missed beat is easily forgiven and once they get started there’s no stopping the momentum of their charging pace. Their latest track Silhouettes is a nod to the band’s musical roots that channels the Brazilian disco albums they grew up listening to and it’s undeniably infectious.

Friendly Fires are officially back and in fine form to deliver one of the best live shows of the year so far. Hawaiian Air and Kiss Of Life round out the encore tonight. “Thank you for sticking by us,” Macfarlane says out of breath and dripping in sweat after one last dance around the stage, before announcing they’ve got a new album dropping on 16 Aug. Put it in your calendar because it’s something to get very excited about.