During the two-year, lockdown-riddled live music dry spell brought to us by the pandemic, there wasn't much for music fans to look forward to. Among the few silver linings was Triple J's Hottest 100, and unless you live under a rock, you'd know that UK psych-pop group Glass Animals snagged the number one spot with 'Heat Waves'.
The moody, electro-pop track about the heartbreak of unrequited love became an anthem for Australians mourning the loss of connection to friends and strangers alike. And the foursome basically became honorary Aussies, getting Australia-shaped bum tattoos to commemorate their win. So when the group announced its Australian tour earlier this year, it felt like an opportunity to repay the band for giving us sonic comfort during such trying times.
After support act Sycco wraps up, John Cain Arena is heaving with punters eyeing the stage, which is littered with palm trees and lit up with a giant, TV-shaped neon light fixture. And as the clock inches closer to 9pm, the cheers grow louder until the group emerges, kicking the set off with 'Life Itself'. The screen pulses with a colourful, psychedelic loop before transitioning into a game of Pac-Man.
There's a playfulness about the whole show, with lead singer Dave Bayley wriggling and writhing across the stage with seemingly boundless energy. "I've done the wrong fuckin' verse, keep going, I'll do it again," says Bayley with a laugh when he accidentally skips ahead to the chorus of 'Tangerine'.
The next ten or so songs oscillate between the band's two latest albums, Dreamland and How To Be A Human Being. The crowd is treated to amped-up versions of fan-favourites like 'Your Love (Déjà Vu)' and the sleazy 'Take A Slice', which gets a heavy rock treatment to make it truly moshable. Then, after bringing the vibes up and getting everyone dancing, the band decides to take things in a different direction with 'Youth'. It's accompanied by childhood footage of Bayley and his family, accentuating the emotional depth of the track sung from the POV of a parent to their child.
At this point in the night, longer-term fans who've been following the group since their debut album Zaba hit the airwaves back in 2014, might be getting slightly concerned. Thankfully, as soon as the ending riff of 'Helium' fades out, the stage lights dim and the spine-tingling intro to 'Gooey' starts at a slow hum. While the song is basically complete and utter nonsense, there's a reason why the slinky, sexy and almost dizzying track is a go-to for testing your headphones.
After burning through the 13-track setlist and doing the classic fake-out, the band emerges from the darkness for an encore. The screen lights up with Neo-Tokyo graphics and the band launches into a frenzied version of 'Tokyo Drifting', bringing the crowd's energy levels back to pre-encore levels.
"I feel like something happened here that I still can't believe. You were really heavily locked down, and we were meant to be releasing our album but postponed it," says Bayley once the song wraps up. "And then we released this song, and something started happening here."
Bayley is, of course, referring to 'Heat Waves' – and it's about damn time. Halfway through performing the track, with backing by the crowd of thousands who've waited years for this moment, Bayley stops just to say, "Oh my God. This is insane." It is, and once it ends, it feels like the bit of closure that Melburnians and Australians have needed to finally fully close the lockdown chapter of their lives.