Review: Max Cooper w/ Special Guest Motez @ Hindley Street Music Hall
Hindley St Music Hall // Friday July 12, 2024
Words by Sam Lavers // Images by Saige Prime
Single-digit temperatures don’t stop droves of eager music fans from welcoming Max Cooper to our City of Churches, with hundreds embracing the cold in anticipation of his audio-visual symphony.
Since 2021, Illuminate Adelaide has dedicated key parts of its program to musicians who explore how immersive visual technology and art can guide live performances. Think Gorillaz at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre; The Avalanches performing their debut album Since I Left You with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; and the dreamy electronica of Grammy-winning artist Tourist.
Max Cooper continues this standard.
Fresh from a set at Glastonbury and part way through his world tour, the electronic audio-visual artist – who also holds a PhD in computational biology – is in Adelaide as part of his two-date Australian tour. His performance is a standout in the 2024 Illuminate programming – a show set to melt minds with its sensory-driven spectacle.
We enter Hindley St Music Hall via its illuminated staircase to the shuddering 4x4 thump of Adelaide’s own electronica pioneer, Motez. Joining forces with another state treasure, multidisciplinary artist Dave Court, the award-winning producer has the room firing on all cylinders right from the get-go – an impressive feat for an opening act, but we’re not surprised with Motez’s pedigree of musical talent. The crowd moves through a wave of ’Tez’s current hard-hitting material. The serrated synth of recent singles ‘Good 2 Go’, ‘Make Way’ and ‘Be Prepared’ are perfectly synced with Court’s textual-visual performance, the artwork moving brilliantly to every thunderous break, preluding the headline performance to come.
Standing room throughout the diverse yet dedicated audience shrinks as Max Cooper takes the decks -- a gracious blend of ravers, industry heavyweights, loyal program followers and serious chin-scratching audiophiles all gathered in union. Excitement builds as a transparent veil covers the stage, acting as a canvas for the two top-flight projectors that would covey Cooper’s 3D visual performance.
Then, silence.
A jet-like drone embarks from the speakers to welcome Max Cooper to the stage, fronted by a sizeable desk of synths, pads and camouflaged computers which guide the London producer through his two-hour set. Waves of gut-rumbling synth wash over the crowd; the audience noticeably transfixed and sedated. Then, a photo of a human eye appears across the 12x12 metre canvas, a staggeringly clear iris casting gaze over Hindley St Music Hall’s sea of people.
The first half of the performance flows through themes of anatomy, human biology and geometrics. Reoccurring motifs of Earth’s rotational patterns, weather systems and soaring landscapes push us through a score that is as expansive as the corners of the world Cooper captures. As we tick into the second act, we’re treated to more standalone singles from his back catalogue – a demanding tail end splintered by abrasive stop-start sounds. The concluding quarter is a test for the audience. The crowd begins to thin around the 90-minute mark of the show, punters clearly pleased with the audio-visual journey they experienced. Such a stimulating show is perhaps suited to a shorter set.
Nevertheless, it’s a 3D/AV is an incredible spectacle – an amazing technological feat. Those who embarked on the full 120-minute sensory pilgrimage are obviously impressed, as huge waves of applause ripple through the crowd. Cooper leaves our festival state with one final gift, blasting The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ in full. It rinses out any remaining energy in the crowd and leaves us thankful for the incredible sonic masterclass.
