Shapeshifter at Galatos

If you've never seen Shapeshifter live, you don't know what you're missing. Aside from a decent night's sleep, of course. They usually don't come on until the morning.

But imagine, if it's possible, you're having an intensely pleasurable panic attack. Your ears are doing that wah-wah thing, your heart feels like an approaching train and your head is on spin in the washing machine.

Now apply that to the music and you'll know what I'm talking about.

As always, the local drum'n'bass lads were on top form and, although there was no mention of an upcoming album to flog for their troubles, they didn't just rely on material from last year's Riddim Wise LP or their debut, Realtime.

Instead, fresh tracks included some earth-shuddering techy numbers and a slightly odd medley of classic hip-hop, Queen and the Nightrider theme.

Overall, it felt like an earthier, more soulful and emotional performance than usual, a culmination of their years of experience playing on both sides of the Tasman, their back-to-front knowledge of their material and an obvious appreciation for roots music, whether from Jamaica, the Pacific or Latin America.

But the true beauty of Shapeshifter's music lies in the fact they play everything live.

There is something so much more exciting watching a band get down on stage and shouting to the man on the decks - Tiki from Salmonella Dub in this case - than a lone geezer heads-down behind the turntables playing other people's tunes.

Even the break-neck drumming (a mind-blowing feat considering drum'n'bass was originally conceived by a machine) added a soulful, jazzy element to what is otherwise a fairly faceless underground genre.

So, too, the addition of P-Digsss on vocals, who gave his interpretation of some of the earlier material.

Things definitely became darker and more intense as the night wore on, as did the straitjacket loony dancing on the floor. Aside from the occasional Kenny G moment care of Devon Abrams on sax, the crowd was pulsing until the end.

Special guests included Tali, the Taranaki-born MC now hanging in Roni Size's circles, who showed there's a real art to scat-rhyming and singing over such heavy reverb.

For other guest, Ladi 6 of support band Verse 2, the effect was a tad less successful - although her languid version of When I Return was sung beautifully, there were moments when slightly bung notes came back to haunt her.

But overall, you couldn't have asked for a better night on the tiles. Something the hour-plus encore attested to.