Hot Chip – Sydney Opera House, Sydney 22/01/16

Despite transcending two decades of dance music, Hot Chip are anything but outdated or diminished. Their kooky charisma and giddy electronica have solidified them in noughties nostalgia and can coax a sold-out Sydney Opera House to rave like there are no repercussions.

Hot Chip is like an old friend you haven’t caught up with for a while. You know exactly what they’re about, you know what they’re bringing, but it isn’t until you see them that you remember just how fucking awesome they are and why you became friends with them in the first place.

Relishing an epic band like Hot Chip at the Sydney Opera House is a real treat because a) the acoustics are off tap, and b) the incredible fusion of light and sound is intoxicating, to say the least. Their extended seven-piece band didn’t necessarily go above and beyond to captivate the auditorium, but they didn’t really need to because, like their weird and wondrous film clips, their toy box funk and stage presence is both intriguing and incredibly entertaining.

Here to promote their sixth studio album, the quintet bounced on stage to David Bowie’s Heroes with a few additional members and no introductions. Bums left seats during their opener Hurricane Lights and pretty much remained dancing with reckless abandon throughout their entire set. From classic party-starters like Night and Day and Ready For The Floor to contemporary tracks like Need You Now and Why Make Sense?, the London lads were hiccup-free; absolutely nailing their playful percussion and tricky transitions.

Flutes enticed the guys to a modest synchronised dance and propelled enigmatic vocalist Alexis Taylor to sneak a sip from a front-rowers beer. Dressed head-to-toe in white with a little Aztec cardi to break things up, Alexis remained pretty nonchalant while Joe Goddard, Owen Clarke and Al Doyle sprang from synth to samplers, talkbox to tambourine.

“You guys are loud! You guys are wicked!”

Returning to the stage for a three-part encore*, the guys aptly capped their rambunctious set with Springsteen cover Dancing in The Dark. Going by the spirited movement of the seething auditorium, the joy of repetition is very much alive. A class act once again.

*To the dickhead who jumped on stage during Boy From School – really?

Gallery: Hot Chip @ Sydney Opera House 2016 / Photos By Annette Geneva