On October 17, Earl Sweatshirt returned to Australia for the first time since 2015 with a gig at The Northcote Theatre in Melbourne.
The eight-year gap was felt, both in the evolution of Earl’s sound and in the energy of a crowd that had clearly been waiting for this moment.
“Do you ever feel…” Earl looked around the crowd seriously, “like a plastic bag…?” he asked. Then he cracked, laughing: “Do you have any idea how crazy that lyric is?”. A 13-year-old Katy Perry reference as the running joke of his set was unanticipated, especially given the serious subject matter in most of his songs, but felt oddly fitting for an artist who’s made a habit of defying expectations.
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Experimental Detroit-based producer Black Noi$e opened the show with a DJ set that went from high-energy trap singles deep into jungle tracks, including a standout Flashing Lights remix. Hi-tech dystopian imagery set the scene behind him as he skimmed effortlessly across genres. The crowd, expecting the laid-back energy that Earl is known for, seemed entertained but a little unsure of how to react, giving little movement to compliment the dance tracks.
After finishing his set, Black Noi$e turned from support to DJ, as Earl emerged almost sheepishly to rapturous applause. Behind them was a projected set of black and white images in the style of the artwork from his latest album Voir Dire. Dressed casually in a white printed T-shirt and baggy jeans, his long dreads tied up, his look took no attention away from the focus of the show: his uniquely emotive deep-timbered voice and dense rhyme schemes.
He rapped flawlessly over the chopped and slowed soul vocal samples that populate his recent releases, only pausing in between songs to joke about Fireworks’ opening line or to laugh with Black Noi$e about a joke that the audience was half let in on. As Earl turned the mic to the crowd for the chorus of the song Molasses his eyes turned wide in surprise.
“That’s crazy,” he said, genuinely taken aback, as every person in the crowd shouted along to the now 10-year-old song. “That’s so crazy,” he repeated as they did it again in the next chorus. It was a genuine reaction and maybe a realisation of the power his music has, even halfway across the world.
Outside of Molasses, Earl’s setlist rarely strayed from his recent albums. He played fan-favourites like EAST and Shattered Dreams, bouncing around on tracks released from 2018 onwards. The personal nature and off-kilter beats of these songs are difficult to dance to and left the crowd almost in quiet contemplation, many nodding along as he wove his visual metaphors.
He broke up the performance with more trap-inspired beats to give the crowd something to dance to. A casual but engaging performer, Earl easily powered through short track after short track without missing a single syllable. He closed with a one-song encore and a simple but genuine thank you, a fittingly low-key finish to his thoughtful performance.
Earl’s music often feels like a difficult-to-penetrate labyrinth of his personality. It’s full of first-name allusions to friends, examinations of his personal struggles and deep-cut basketball references, oftentimes making it feel like an in-joke that only he truly understands. For one night it felt as if we were fully let in on what was so funny.
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