Live Review: Stereolab, Mildlife

Grey skies hang ominously in the air tonight for the penultimate Zoo Twilights gig. It seems everyone has an eye on the heavens, the crowd looking pensive and wondering if we are about to be washed away by a great flood. Luckily the weather gods hold off just long enough for tonight’s gig. Mildlife present a set of luscious slow-burn jams that move from light jazz vibes to psychedelic disco which then breaks down into a wilder kosmische style driven by insistent motorik beats. A group of accomplished players, Mildlife warm any chill hanging in the air and set the scene for Stereolab with their easy feelgood grooves.

All summer long the animals in the Melbourne Zoo have occupied a prime position to take in some fine sounds from an eclectic array of artists playing the Zoo Twilights gigs. It's hard to know what they would make of all this noise. Nonetheless, the Melbourne Zoo is doing an amazing job of highlighting the plight of the critically endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum and should be commended on what they are doing to stave off the extinction of these adorable critters.

It’s with a graceful gesture of her hands that Lætitia Sadier introduces Come And Play In The Milky Night, a song that feels like the most appropriate way to start an outdoor gig under the starry sky. It feels retro to be listening to Stereolab dealing a setlist of much-loved classics, all of which now just sound utterly timeless. Over the years Sadier has had some success as a solo artist but it is in the context of Stereolab that her clear and light vocals, in both French and English, make the most sense. Stereolab, for the most part looking like a bunch of distinguished professors, deal a rich organic sound that is a sophisticated protean fusion of styles, fluidly morphing from exotica and space-pop to yé-yé and tropicália. Stereolab have crafted a sound that is uniquely theirs: it's just beautiful music.

Cuts like French Disko and Miss Modular elicit a huge howl of approval from fans. It's even more reassuring to see the crowd singing along to Ping Pong and Lo Boob Oscillator. These '90s underground hits reflect Stereolab at their charming and experimental best. Their intelligent urbane grooves offer a profusion of hooks that have the crowd bouncing.

Meanwhile the crowd seems to have segregated somewhat. Tall to the right, short to the left. Right in the middle of things, we seem to be in a patch of crazy. "The only word of French I know is ‘croissant'," screams an enthusiastic fan and while the crowd giggles, the band don't even blink, coolly ripping into a majestic extended version of John Cage Bubblegum. An evening in the company of Stereolab passes quickly and before too long it’s the elegant samba influenced Rainbo Conversation which kicks off the encore. Interestingly the repetitive minimalism of Blue Milk plays heavy with more of a psych-rock vibe than the recorded version. The soft dreaminess of Contronatura brings us down off a brilliant set comprised of Stereolab’s career highlights. It's great to see that Stereolab are back with a vengeance after that ten-year hiatus.