Northern Boardwalk, Sydney Opera House, May 27
★★★★
Second to New Year's Eve, it's about the ultimate time and place for a party: when the Vivid festival lights up the Harbour and where the colourfully adorned boats and Bridge – not to mention a certain Opera House – provide the backdrop.
Your hosts for the evening are Melbourne's finest, The Avalanches, and while they haven't messed with their set much since their lovably shambolic shows in summer, these indietronic misfit geniuses still have a few surprises up their sleeve for this special event.
For a start, touring MC Spank Rock no longer needs his phone to help him with the lyrics; but then there's also the occasional guest star to add extra sparks of delight.
Like charismatic rapper Briggs barking along during a raucous Frankie Sinatra (about three hours after the tough ask of performing as an early support act – which Briggs nonetheless gleefully took on). Later, Julian Hamilton from The Presets lends his vocals to the pretty bliss of If I Was a Folkstar.
Otherwise it's business as usual, which for the Avalanches is righteously fun business indeed.
With the animated Paris Jeffree smashing away at her drum kit at the back, core studio Avalanches Tony Di Blasi and Robbie Chater take the lead with the electronic business (samples, theremin, keyboards) and guitar sounds (aided by even earlier support Jonti Danilewitz) respectively.
They breeze through the smooth disco of Subways and tear the place apart with the ever-bonkers Frontier Psychiatrist before finishing somewhat abruptly after Since I Left You (a last hurrah for their excellent, soulful singer Eliza Wolfgramm).
It is then, actually, that the evening's other major drawcard, DJ Shadow, would have provided the ultimate comedown set, but given this party had to end soon after 10pm – rather than midnight in Shadow's fabled perfect world – it's probably best he performed his brooding and often brilliant set of atmospheric beats before the Avalanches.
Anyway, only a fool would genuinely complain. After all, getting to see two of the most inventive artists of their generation in such a setting on the same night – and on pretty great form – is not something to be sniffed at.
The Since I Left You Block Party returns for one more show on the Northern Boardwalk of the Opera House tonight (Sunday, May 28).
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