Live review: Ingenious Empire of The Sun deliver unforgettable theatrical delight

The electronic luminaries delivered a breathtaking night of colour, spectacle, and euphoric synth-pop that left the sold-out Halifax crowd completely spellbound.

On a hazy Sunday night, Halifax’s historic stone Piece Hall courtyard was dramatically transformed into a shimmering, intergalactic oasis for one of only three exclusively sought-after UK dates on Empire of The Sun's insanely alluring Ask That God Tour.

Opening the evening under an ocean-coloured sky were New Zealand indie-rockers Balu Brigada.

The unapologetically cool duo took on the monumental task of warming up the historic stone courtyard, setting a vibrant, high-energy tone from the first chord.

Their effortlessly slick, infectious performance, paired with hypnotic tracks such as So Cold and Backseat perfectly primed the awaiting Halifax audience, ensuring everyone’s dancing bones were well greased prior to the plunge into the main event's kaleidoscopic madness.

When frontman Luke Steele and his entrusted right-hand man Nick Littlemore emerged, they were accompanied by a surrealist troupe, and in that moment, it became instantly clear that we weren't just getting any other tried concert; we were stepping headfirst into a high-fashion, sci-fi liturgy.

Steele, with his scarlet-cloaked arms held open wide, backed by a vividly starry screen and the stinging ringing of a colossal synth riff, the gates of an enticing galaxy behind him opened, and the sense of gravity on the cobbles beneath our very soles had loosened, as the hivemind that was the crowd knew in that instance they were in for something truly and uniquely momentous.

Backed by a flawless cohort of two tireless backing dancers, the band cycled through multiple, increasingly mind-bending outfit changes.

They strutted across the stage dressed in avant-garde creations that the Met Gala couldn't even dream up with a 78-year head start; as the music unity was garbed, approximating to the likes of celestial royalty that had beamed down unswervingly from another dimension.

The intergalactic talents absolutely spoilt the crowd from the second they stepped out, opening their career-spanning set with an incredible run of three back-to-back anthems: Desire, The Feeling You Get, and Half Mast (a personal favourite of mine).

Unified as one, the courtyard, already intoxicated by the sheer visual splendour, erupted into a unified mass of moving bodies and waving arms. Steele expertly balanced these nostalgic electronic dance indie hits with a few shiny new tracks from their latest album, Ask That God.

Yet usually, when the new tracks are debuted to fans old and new, it tends to slow down the set for a moment- not for this lot, though.

18 years on from their seminal debut, hits like Television, Music on the Radio and Cherry Blossom, all coming from their latest, indicate that the multi-platinum duo have no desired intentions of slowing down their dance-fulfilled mission.

The absolute pinnacle of the night's beautiful absurdity arrived during the aforementioned and irresistible vibe that was Music on The Radio.

Refusing to let the audience remain mere spectators, the band broke the fourth wall of their galactic theatre and invited die-hard fans of the crowd to come up on stage and dance with them.

These lucky plucked individuals were given the chance of a lifetime: to join a makeshift conga line, blissfully sandwiched between two dancers dressed in full, glowing jellyfish attire and the majestic frontman of Empire Of The Sun himself.

It was pure, unadulterated, chaotic joy from the most unique of fever dreams.

The spiralling rupture of momentum only snowballed from there. As the entire courtyard completely gushed when fan-favourites We Are The People and High and Low arrived ceremoniously, with both being teased beautifully by their signature, atmospheric Cercle-style intro before building into a massive, dancefloor-destroying crescendo.

A rousing encore was desperately craved after the last nostalgic notes of Walking On A Dream gleefully spun out into the depths of the Yorkshire hills, and a sweet send-off was intimately put into effect as the recognised duo returned with the conquering impeccability of Standing On The Shore and the undeniably lump-in-your-throat anthem Alive.

Making for a patented euphoric closer, drenched by the uncontroversial beauty of its surroundings and phenomenal, incredible emotion, the crowd will forever be chasing that high of what has coursed through their veins tonight.

Empire of The Sun was supposed to perform at the hall the year prior but indubitably made up for it with their inconceivable spectacle for the ages, as it was categorically the unsurpassed show of the year for me so far, as it was an unprecedented dramaturgical fever dream supplemented by electronic dance indie hits that'll forever remain a timeless fantasy.

All photos: Luc Burke-Lejeune