MOG

My favourite Australian band, CODA played on Saturday night at The Factory Theatre in Enmore, Sydney before a crowd of several hundred people. (I've posted about them here previously: Soundscape To a Fantastical Dream).

CODA are a six piece instrumental band who play music that is densely layered and richly textured. They are classically trained musicians whose music reminds me in many ways of another of my favourite bands, The Cinematic Orchestra.

The various musicians play violin, viola, vibraphone, melodica, bass guitar, keyboards, bongos, various percussion instruments and drums. Their music is a fusion of beats, classical, electronic and rock with some eastern influences.

Seeing them play live is an absolute treat. They often play dressed in quirky headgear and costumes, though on Saturday night only the violin player was really dressed for the occasion in high silver boots, and an extraordinary dress by Sydney punk-glam designer daviseyes

They came to the party with their stage set however, which had an amazing backdrop painted with a fantastical underwater scene complete with sea creatures and a character in a deep sea diving bell. Hung from the roof of the stage itself were about fifteen or so jellyfish (made from coloured gauze) with long tentacles that draped down amongst the band. Unfortunately, the camera on my phone wasn't working properly, so I can't post you a photo, but to give you an idea of what some of their shows look like, here's one from a gig they did at the Sydney Opera House.

Musically they didn't disappoint. They were augmented on the night with three additional musicians - their 'Super String Section' who added depth on numerous tracks. They showcased new tracks along with material from their most recent album, 'Calling Mission Mu', their EP, 'For Our Animal Friends' and debut LP, 'There Is A Way To Fly'. The performances of the various band members themselves were all faultless and the luscious beats and grooves intertwined with the strings to combine into a rich musical tapestry unlike any other band I've seen.