Returning to the Forum for the first time since January 2015, the Melbourne crowd was hungry for some Ásgeir. Opening the show was Gordi, a perfect tonal pick to prime the crowd for the beauty to come.
Halfway through their set, Ásgeir decided to revive their 2014 Like A Version cover of Milky Chance’s Stolen Dance, receiving a mixed response from the crowd. Some took their partners for a dance and others took the chance to check their phones. Their more recent version of Love$ick by Mura Masa may have been a more timely choice.
As the first bars of King and Cross played out through the cavernous room there was a rush of people with mobile phones out ready to capture part of his most famous track to date. This point was probably as excited as the crowd became.
After only 45 minutes of the performance it was announced that Ásgeir and his band would only be playing one more song. It was later revealed that Ásgeir was feeling a little ill and chose to cut the set down.
To end the show Ásgeir and his band chose to add a crazy eyeball-shaking heavy bass crescendo rivalling anything from James Blake, on Afterglow – the title track of his latest album, which takes a greater dip into synthesiser and electronic production.
As an Ásgeir show tends to be quite static, the accompanying light show was a perfect touch, straddling the thin line between adequate and overwhelming. Despite his sickness Ásgeir managed to make the huge Forum seem small and warm, giving fans a performance worth braving the cold for.
Highlight: Ásgeir’s voice.
Lowlight: The lack of encore.
Crowd favourite: King and Cross – no surprise here.
