It’s no easy feat being coined as one of the world’s most premier live drum ‘n’ bass acts – but it makes life a hell-of-a-lot easier when your band’s name is Shapeshifter.
With their heavy blend of soul, breaks, metal and jazz infused live performances spanning sold out arenas around the globe, the Kiwi quartet literally raised the roof of Melbourne’s Billboard venue situated in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. From the outset the essence was captured and all you could do was brace yourself for the musical phenomenon to do its thing.
Opening with the intro track to their fourth studio album, The System Is A Vampire, “Dutchies” blew many unsuspecting listeners off their feet and urged the rest of them to ‘hold on’.
And hold on they did as the NZ crew showcased what it means to pioneer hi-octane big beat bombs early on in their set.
The iconic “Electric Dream” featured as the venue raised their arms in unison and praise. The crowd undoubtedly grasping for the gentle-yet-dominating aura of frontman Paora Apera – more commonly known as P Digsss.
By now, Billboard was an all out rave as the stacked sound-system established an uncanny connection with the synth-king members stationed across the stage; each blasting out their own equal batch of electrified keyboard domination.
Speaking of domination look no further than the real backbone to any live drum n bass theatrical that came in the form of Darren Mathiassen. Slaying intense click tracks like a casual walk in the park, it’s hard to believe the mechanical robot-like output of a single musician could be so powerful.
In true Kiwi style the gig wouldn’t be complete without the diverse sounds of a lead saxophone into to “One”. P Digsss celebrating the 20th birthday of his niece and duly dedicating the track to her – a song that has aged graciously with time.
The five-piece left no prisoners as they re-emerged for an explosive encore. P Digggs obviously more than happy to provide the hailing crowd with yet another ‘tune’.
Paralysing night of thumping drum n bass and it’s apparent the ever formidable Shapeshifter haven’t slowed one bit since their 99’ inception from the small city of Christchurch, New Zealand. In the scheme of things, it’s fantastic see the band’s now critically acclaimed success continually soaring to new heights each an every time they play.
To put it simply, Shapeshifter showed a receptive Melbourne crowd what world-class is really all about.
