LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip

Review: You know how most setlists work. You open with something known, do about a third of the current album mixed with a couple of old favourites to catch people's attention, some more current stuff, then barrel into The Hits for the sprint toward the finish line. Everyone does it, because it works.

Of course, you could just be really fucking great instead.

That's the principle that both Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem adopted at the Hordern with both bands playing honest-to-god blinders, though for interestingly different reasons. Hot Chip first: despite the absence of Joe Goddard (on paternity leave, as Al Doyle proudly explained) the band lacked nothing in sound nor energy. Goddard added his angelic vocals via video screen on several songs but this gimmick really wasn't needed: the band had things under control with a set that was structured like a live DJ performance: songs bled from one to the next, often rearranged to near unrecognisability (a muscular ‘Over And Over' turned up gratifyingly early, coming out of an extended groove that wrongfooted the crowd before the guitar stabs gave the game away), with the frontline leaping from keys to guitar to bass to percussion (including regular use of a steel drum) multiple times through each song, while Felix Martin supervised event from the back on his throne of screens and keyboards. This year's One Life Stand got a big look in with the title track and ‘I Feel Better' and getting a particularly enthusiastic response before the set closed – alright, somewhat predictably – with a gloriously pumping ‘Ready for the Floor'.

Canyons busied themselves on the decks while LCD's crew set things up and the discussion around the bar seemed to centre around two things: one, who knew Hot Chip were that good live; and two, who puts Hot Chip on at 8pm when tickets say doors open? However, these conversations were made moot once LCD Soundsystem took the stage, getting the PA warmed up in order for James Murphy to swan out to rapturous applause. And the first thing that was made clear was this: man, Murphy loves Bowie. Until seeing ‘Drunk Girls' live, with a wonderfully loose groove and bellowed backing vocals, it hadn't really dawned on me how much it's Murphy's own ‘Boys Keep Swinging' – although it was a hard thought to follow through since the set was one punch to the jaw after another. ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' was disposed of early, making room for an ear-splitting ‘Pow Pow', the magnificent ‘All My Friends', the punk-roar of ‘Movement', a bottom-end-thrumming ‘Tribulations' and a (somewhat slowed down, perhaps?) take on ‘I Can Change'. If Murphy was the focal point, it's only because he's got such a strong band supporting him – and they played like demons. Drummer Pat Mahoney busted his kick pedal early, leading Murphy to explain "This is the first of many things that will be broken this evening. Next will be a string. Then one of our hearts."

While the sound was astonishing, the lightshow gave a whole extra dimension to proceedings, turning the Hordern from discothèque to spaceship to Atari motherboard from song to song, and the dry ice did much to conceal those enjoying a cheeky smoke mid-gig.

The encore didn't disappoint either: ‘Losing My Edge' was a snarling beast of a performance, Murphy spitting out lines while prowling the stage, before closing with the melodramatic ‘New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down' (in keeping with the aforementioned Bowie comparison, think ‘Rock'n'Roll Suicide'), with a cheeky coda from Jay-Z/Alicia Keys' ‘Empire State of Mind'. And then the lights came up to the strains of Eddy Grant's ‘Electric Avenue' and thousands of people stumbled out attempting to process what they'd just seen. Gig of the year? Honestly, it's hard to see what could top it. Andrew P Street