The Manning Bar is another iconic live music venue in Sydney. It doesn't ooze as much charisma as the aforementioned 'Dale', but holds it's keep. Located in the middle of the educational mecca that is Sydney University (seriously, anyone who studies there - I'm jealous), the Manning Bar is close to perfect. I'd been excited about this gig for a long time now as I haven't seen Ratatat live before and had only heard great things.
We got there in time to see the openers Qua. The sold out crowd ditched their cigarettes and probably tried to get a drink...(they would have been able to if it wasn't for the stoner bartenders who were practicing their red bull pouring skills) and ventured inside. The two-piece from Melbourne had a rather simple set up however they really made the most of it. Originally a solo act, Qua had a small array of tech hardware from samplers to midi's etc along with a sunglass bearing gentleman playing a drum machine and some bongo's. I'd liken him to El Guincho, Four Tet and a lighter more subtle version of Pivot.
Phdj of Purple Sneakers fame was doing a fine job of warming up the crowd with his unmistakable mash up skills. Foals, Crystal Castles, The Smiths and XXXchange within about 7 minutes of each other. And he's a super nice dude to boot.
Up next was Quan - not to be confused with Qua, this is Quan from Regurgitator doing his two-piece Korean rap/hip hop project...if you can call it that. His opening track was bearable, mainly because of its comedic value. In summation, it was Quan with a drummer (who had woeful dancing skills) attempting to wax lyrical to under produced beats with cliche samples. And the visuals were basically the lyrics to the tracks with the occassional picture of a horse? Fucking rubbish.
Quan really wasn't an appropriate main support act for Ratatat, however they took to the stage amidst perfect lighting and a touch of smoke just to certify their god-like cult status. Opening with 'Shiller', the piercing sounds of their mini harp sent a shiver through everyone. Running through most of 'Classics' and their first self titled LP before demonstrating that their extensive touring (4 shows along the east coast in one week alone) has made them masters of their live performances in particular LP3.
These guys essentially pioneered a new hybrid of instrumental/psychedelia in a time when New York had not much to it's name. Bearing in mind this was pre The Rapture, The Strokes, Interpol etc. Mike Stroud and Evan Mast have an onstage presence that works ideally as Stroud swills his bottle of Jamesons and swaggers around the stage long hair flailing while Mast focuses melodically on the technical side of things.
Their performance was nothing short of fascinating. The crowd were involved from the beginning, however Stroud and Mast gradually raised the intensity and just when you thought it couldn't get any better, they play 'Wild Cat'. Uncharacteristically (I thought) because it seems like such a encore song but it goes without saying that it is an incredible song and sounds phenomenal live. The crowd were relentless and beseechingly demanded an encore, too which they did not disappoint. Falcon Jab and an extended version of Lex left everyone musically fucked.
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