The end of semester has left me limp with whatever cold has infiltrated campus. Luckily, I didn’t need to breathe during UK producer Daniel Avery’s headline act at RISING. Between smoke machine smog, dimension-altering lighting and bone-shaking techno rock, my breath was rightfully taken away. 

RISING’s city-takeover festival had Avery perform at Melbourne Town Hall following his 2025 album, Tremors. The alternative DJ artist first gained attention in 2013 with hit techno album, Drone Logic. Influenced by 80s and 90s alternative rock bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Kyuss, Nine Inch Nails and My Bloody Valentine, Avery has a strong shoegaze approach to his music which creates a sensory cloud of euphoric ambience. His music is like drinking red-bull vodka, wind through your hair, volume on 100 with your car windows down. 

The evening opened with local experimental pop artist, Sui Zhen, who left me spinning. Literally, eggs were spinning on the projector. It was certainly eclectic, for I had never witnessed an artist remix a Welcome to Country before: “Unceded, unceded, unceded.” Whilst my friend and I tried to crack the egg code to her synthesised vocals and looped electric guitar, the audience filed in to enjoy RISING’s pop-up bar. 

Avery’s performance emulsified tradition with contemporary in every sense. Performing in the heritage-listed Melbourne Town Hall provided Avery a grand haven for his techno beats. In the same vein, Avery’s electric DJ deck—accompanied by three musicians on drums, electric guitar and bass—combined the best of polished electronics and raw acoustics in a passionate blend. 

Avery emerged from the shadows in all black and offered a brief, nodded recognition of the packed crowd. With his micro band, the first act commenced with the heavy downbeat drumline of “Greasy off the Racing Line”. Blending into “New Life”, a collaboration with Irish artist Yunè Pinku, constant harmonic synth delivered the melody to my fantasy of being in a cologne commercial. Another standout was “Haze”, also from the new album, which resembled the gritty tone of Kyuss and true rock. Everyone was headbanging, no matter how old or bald. 

He never sang—heck, he didn’t even speak a single word during the entire gig—but instead communicated with intense, full-body grooving and outstretched arms that beckoned a roar from the crowd. 

From someone whose first introduction to music was orchestral, I enjoyed how multidimensional and holistic Avery’s composition is. His inspiration bank and blend of modern electronics with traditional instruments culminate in an enjoyable, over-sensory experience. There are no unexplained silences or clear endings to his songs; rather, the music bleeds into the next song to maximise total atmospheric immersion. 

Taking a brief intermission offstage from a passionate and physical performance, the second act was performed solo, mixing techno and rave samples. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the titles of these songs as the combination of wordless, multi-layered rhythms and a swirling light display distracted me from my review writing duty! Ears and eyes were flooded with input, jumbling around our brains and reprogramming the crowd to synchronously sway. Even the Town Hall staff couldn’t resist a head-bopping boogie or some sneaky phone recording! 

The third act brought the band back onstage, and excitedly, my favourite song of Daniel Avery’s: “Rapture in Blue”. From Tremors, this ambient bop will be blasting in my Hyundai i30 for the foreseeable future. Its heavy bassline complements singer Cecile Believe’s bright resonance, demanding a wave of body rolls from the crowd. 

Avery and his band exited the stage to unsure applause. Could this be another intermission in between acts, or is this where we chant for an encore? As I suspected, we were waiting for an encore, but Avery still reappeared to an underwhelming cheer. Nevertheless, closing with fan-favourite “Drone Logic” convinced the ocean of bodies to jump, headbang and throw their arms in the air. 

Rock on, Daniel Avery, rock on. Thank you for nursing me back to health with a night of sinus-clearing headbanging.

Photo credits @rcstills.