By Joshua Bowling (Dream Coast)

On October the 28th COLLAR returned to the stage with a thrillingly visceral set to headline the opening night of The Princess Theatre’s relaunch weekend. Launching the Hard Time To Take It EP, the pair were in fine form, as were support acts Great Sage, Jad & The and LÂLKA.

Opening act LÂLKA gave the new Princess sound system a workout with a low-end heavy DJ set spanning bass music and hyper-pop. Her own tracks shone in the mix, highlighting her versatility as a producer. Great Sage held the growing audience in a trance, in no small part due to frontman Troy Doolan’s charismatic stage presence in the role of the titular wizard / cult-leader figure. There is tight interplay between the band, with the rock solid drumming during the synth freakout in ‘Hands’ and the energetic ‘Guakulak’ (nodding to Daft Punk’s crunchy guitar and vocoder lines in ‘Robot Rock’) proving to be amongst the best moments of the night. Anticipation grew as the curtains closed on the main stage while local legend Jad & The kept the energy high with some deep selections and masterful transitions behind the decks. Punters streamed in and out of doors, taking a chance to explore the multiple bars, upstairs balcony, café and B2B DJ sets in the Clarence Courtyard.

Layered ambient drones began as the curtains opened for the main act, revealing the massive COLLAR lighting rig running through a mesmerising pattern. A slow-chugging bass materialised from the ether as Spencer White took to the microphone to deliver ‘PERFECT DRESS’, white lights throbbing onstage. ’LOST IN SOMETHING’ followed, with layers of synths drenched in reverb complimenting Spencer’s dark baritone. Charles Murdoch’s drum production impressed during the instrumental ‘Euclid’ and single ‘Tripping Over Myself’ as extended versions of each track worked the crowd into a hypnotic groove. ‘Kiss’ from the Hard Time To Take It EP featured next, the Darkside-like organ shuffle providing a breath of air before the brooding modular synth workout of ‘Frost’. Following ‘Newlife’, favourite ‘Strangest Desires’ brought a wave of release as Spencer’s layered hooks received a warm response from the sold-out theatre. There were a few strong forthcoming songs peppered throughout the set, including the closer listed as ‘Push Push’ - showing yet again that COLLAR are a group to watch in the Australian electronic music scene.

The rest of the long weekend saw some of Meanjin’s most exciting acts come together for the official housewarming of The Princess Theatre. On Friday, highlights included mainstage sets from Sampology (performing cuts from his stellar LP Regrowth)and legends of the festival sceneOKA. Post-rock act Dream Dali turned heads early on with a gripping AV trip before the underrated Nice Biscuit blazed through a set of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard-esque psychedelic rock. QUIVR curated the outdoor DJ area, handpicking a line-up of the city's finest selectors, including Dameeeela, Jimmy Ellis, Quincy Raw, Aidan Beiers, Gratitude Cowgirl, Glasshead and more. Funk prodigies First Beige & rising star Jesswar wowed on Saturday night, each bringing their unique takes on familiar genres to the 133-year-old stage. Despite being postponed a few times due to various lockdowns, the opening weekend was a joyous celebration of the refitted venue and a welcome return to live music - hopefully the first of many nights at the gorgeous new location.

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