Silhouetted against a bright orange glow, the US trio chose to let the music do the talking, albeit aided by a strenuous workout from the venues lighting rig.
Beginning with a track from their forthcoming second album, Ten Silver Drops, the polite guitar riffs and gentle feedback soon gave way to the style of thunderous, progressive dance-rock for which Secret Machines are best known.
With nothing but leftover guitar whines and synth sounds to break up the set, the Brothers Curtis and drummer Garza seamlessly created such a solid wall of sound that, coupled with the blinding light display, at times it threatened to overwhelm the senses.
The psychedelic beauty of debut album tracks Pharaoh's Daughter and You Are Chains, surfaced refreshingly from the more drum and bass-driven anthems Nowhere Again and new single Lightning Blue Eyes.
Secret Machines ended their near-90-minute noise-fest with the frantic energy of older single Sad And Lonely, followed by epic set-closer First Wave Intact.
As the music faded, the firelike orange glow returned, resembling a distant blaze caused by the combustion of the bands over-worked and over-heated instruments.
Secret Machines is a fitting moniker for a group whose signature sound fuses fuzzy, slow-driven bass with relentless, pounding drums and high-pitched guitar squeals.
Although less of a secret nowadays, these Machines sound like the sort of monstrous, man-made engine that could keep a universe turning.
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