Melbourne was all about Honey Dijon this weekend.
The Pitch headliner brought herself and three other standout talents on the Pitch lineup to Melbourne’s favourite new live music destination, the Palace Foreshore.
It was a suitably balmy yet appreciably overcast day for a rave near the beach, which saw a slow trickle of fans (who had been packing The Espy before and would proceed to pack The Espy afterwards) as Sophie McAlister, Leo Pol and Pablo Bozzi warmed things up before Dijon’s set. The supports were carefully chosen for the versatility they offered to the night, a crafted journey through the depths of Italo-Disco, EBM, Eurotrance and more. It was a study of sorts in the lesser-known genres of electronic music.
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Dijon did some warming up herself though. After nearly an hour of surprisingly heavy techno, she began to deliver what people have really come to expect from her – superb underground house hits, cuts from the likes of JFlores and Paul Sirrell – that she mixes with such aplomb, it’s clear to see why she’s been one of the most in-demand DJs in the world for the past couple of years.
The transformation of Dijon’s career has been remarkable to witness. From playing an intimate club show at the original Xe54 venue in South Melbourne just a few years ago to commanding a 5,000-capacity venue while simultaneously headlining Australia’s biggest techno festival demonstrates her meteoric rise. The Grammy winner’s connection with Melbourne runs deep – it was here that one of her most iconic moments occurred, that viral Sugar Mountain set featuring the ecstatic Martin Luther King speech, which continues to circulate and inspire worldwide.
As the afternoon progressed into evening, Dijon masterfully built the energy, seamless transitions, perfect beat matching, an innate ability to read the crowd. The usual stuff you’d expect from a world-class DJ (although we were sad not to hear Baddy On The Floor, a testament to her emerging reputation as a standout producer).
Part of her massive appeal comes from her status as a queer icon, a role she embraces with conviction that resonates powerfully with her audience. Throughout the set, massive screens flashed those kinds of powerful affirmations, sending waves of jubilation through the crowd. A Honey Dijon show is a celebration of Black excellence, feminine power and the undisputed debt electronic music owes to the trans community.
Get tickets to see SIX60 at the Palace Foreshore this Friday here.
