UK art pop queen Roisin Murphy has been making music of major significance since her joyous appearance with Moloko in 1995 with their debut album, ‘Do You Like My Tight Sweater?’, a delicious collection of synth-laden quirk pop. Moloko stayed well and truly in the underground with their next album, ‘I Am Not A Doctor’ but found massive mainstream success with the dance remix of its single ‘Sing It Back‘ in 1999. Two more albums later, Moloko broke up in 2004, before which Roisin Murphy had already made her first foray into what would become her successful solo career with the release of the celebrated dance song, ‘Never Enough‘ with Boris Dlugosh in 2001.

After Moloko wound up, Murphy released her first solo album ‘Ruby Blue’ in 2005, full of quirky pop married to subdued beats, bearing two well-received singles, ‘Ramalama‘ and ‘Sow Into You‘. Since then Murphy has experimented with various types of electronic music in her three subsequent album releases, favouring a more minimalist electro sound over the last few years, and you can definitely hear how much of Moloko’s creative input came from her in her solo work, with many agreeable sonic and thematic similarities. Darn great if you’re a fan.

We find her doing a brief but much-coveted to those in the know, two-city Australian tour of Sydney and Melbourne on the back of one such minimalist, but also more souped up disco funk single release, ‘Narcissus‘. The show kicks off with a dreamy instrumental intro from the band to first song, ‘House Of Glass‘ from 2015’s ‘Hairless Toys’ album, which slides into its crisp, clicking beats as Murphy takes the stage to rapturous applause and group whooping from the crowd. This is the second major show I’ve seen here at the Forum with a premium electronic indie/alternative artist in top form performing to an adoring crowd, the former being Client Liaison.

Both shows felt like real events thanks to the combination of audience response and superlative musicality of the artists in question, handsome feats of authentically credible indie and alternative music. Roisin Murphy appeared wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, singlet and large skirt with a mildly psychedelic black-and-white lines moving Op Art-esque backdrop on the screen behind them, which was an agreeable start to the show. Costume changes came thick and fast, the first one being for next song, ‘Demon Lover’, with some interesting late 70’s-early 80’s style pastel pink and blue squiggles on the backdrop and Murphy sporting a white cap and large, iridescent shawl with clear plastic wraparound sunglasses.

I thought this was all we were going to see of Murphy all night, the sunglasses obscuring her distinctive enlarged pixie/fawn eyes but not to worry, they came off a few songs later. ‘Demon Lover‘ was a louder song with a heavier, more banging backbeat that injected some more energy into the show’s beginning. Next came ‘You Know Me Better‘, a favourite of both fans and Roisin it seems, from the classic 2007 ‘Overpowered’ album. Any of the four singles from it could’ve been chosen, great songs all, so this was an interesting choice. Off came the shawl and Roisin was wearing an angular fluoro green dress with some black trim, while the cap and glasses stayed on.

Instrumentation was tight and nice, with the lead guitarist playing what on record is the bassline between chorus and verses to appealing effect. With this song came the introduction of what often would be used as the backdrop graphics, a wide range of very interesting, both filmed and graphics-based predominantly 70’s based glam kitsch interiors of all colours and styles. Which adds to the sense of culture and artistic sophistication that comes as a given with Roisin Murphy. Though not to an elitist effect, more alternative, and Murphy is quite an earthy character herself. Also with this song is the advent of Murphy’s trademark, quite physical, kooky, groovy dancing.

Shimmying her shoulders, throwing her hair about, banging her head, it all adds to the impression of alternative artistry and serves to make Roisin Murphy see all the more loveable and appealing. From here the show builds to a dance party high with songs like ‘Unputdownable‘, ‘Plaything‘, ‘Incapable‘, ‘Like‘ and ‘Exploitation‘. During the course of these songs, most of which are given extended eight minute or so treatments, some more disco-y and jazzed up, some more minimalist and icily electronic, we’re taken to a place that’s very clubby, very up, and I’m reminded of a kind of clubbing I haven’t experienced since my early 30’s, how good it can be and it’s trance-like, leading to a moment of musical ecstacy at its peak.

Those songs that fall into the more minimal category with hypnotic, metronomic beats come off much better than heir recorded versions, sounding epic, with those bouncing electro notes able to be fleshed out with more muscular amplification. We get more fun antics from Murphy, swinging a silver blow up human figure around the stage for the entirety of ‘Unputdownable’, a welcome snippet of Moloko’s biggest hit, 1999’s legendary ‘Sing It Back’ and Roisin even walks out into the audience and crowd surfs during another Moloko classic that followed, ‘Forever More‘, eliciting a rapturous response from the crowd again.

From here we’re swept into the nightclub heaven of ‘Overpowered‘, segueing into a more clubby, remixed version four minutes in, sustaining an extended, tantalising nightclub high, feeling hypnotic and sublime. This was a definite highlight of the show, the crowd going wild once more, with ‘Overpowered’ being one of Murphy’s most beloved and signature songs. The show closes out with another entrancing clubby version, this time of ‘Flash Of Light‘, continuing for a solid ten minutes. The crowd is pumped for an encore and join into a cacophony of celebratory foot stomping to encourage Roisin to do it it seems, but it doesn’t happen. Still, after a solid hour and a half, the slight edge of disappointment is overcome by the collective knowledge that we’ve just witnessed a very special occasion and the crowd leaves buoyant and cheerful.