Newcastle-raised, UK-based Mall Grab has had some sort of career...and he’s only 31 years old.
Now a few years sober, avid skater and all-around good egg, Jordon Alexander has kickflipped over the speedbumps that have taken down others with similar steep rises (RIP Avicii).
The drinking and the partying were getting the better of him and his ADHD diagnosis, but now he’s in a much better headspace and engaged to be married.
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
In just over a decade, Mall Grab has put out two albums, loads of singles, two compilations, three DJ mixes and also headlined his share of festivals. Dude is flying.
Tonight is the first of two massive sold-out Carriageworks shows in Sydney for Vivid Festival on his Looking For Trouble tour. This will be a coronation of sorts for the perennially youthful DJ and producer, there’s a lot of love in the room for the homecoming king, punters are ready for ravin’ and misbehavin’.
Mall Grab bursts out of the blocks with the sound he’s currently known for: high-energy rave. Now he’s humming along at nearly 140 bpm, hold onto your hats, folks.
I spot one mandible-munching guy on a mate’s shoulders only two songs into Mall Grab’s set. He’s throwing shapes like a champion, topless, and hasn’t skipped arm day in a while.
The stage set-up looks like a Last Supper painting if Jesus was doing Boiler Room.
Alexander is flanked by faithful disciples on each side, a looming LED screen jutting out over his head with large LEDs 20 metres away either side, completing a finely curated mise-en-scène. Refracted green, red, blue and purple light swoop across the screens as Alexander performs in a fairly low-key manner.
He lets his crafty blends and drum-based transitions do the heavy-lifting, rarely raising his hands above shoulder height. The crowd seems a little perplexed as to how to dance to such relentless music, then settles on a combination of fist-pumping, pogoing and turning to their mates to make the ooft face.
It’s all going well, but there is a slight feeling we’re on a fast train to nowhere.
In the second half of the set, Alexander shows us he can read a room, interpolating more vocals such as Daft Punk’s Technologic (“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it”) over piano house then some fierce UK rap, a breaks-tinged remix of Double 99’s classic Ripgroove and even Zombie Nation’s Kernkraft 400 (Sport Chant Stadium Remix)…the last one was according to Shazam, perhaps an unreliable narrator.
Alexander cocks his head to the side and moves into drum’n’bass with a changed-up tempo that would have Flume and What So Not nodding in approval. At the end of the show, I can’t help but ask myself if 2025’s more mellow Mall Grab enjoyed himself?
He does give a big heart symbol with his hands and the next day I see he’s posted an Instagram story: “Thanks for that Carriageworks, one of the best nights of my life. Round Two tonight,” with a picture of a smiling woman (I’m assuming his fiancé) pushing a wheelchair (I’m assuming his nana).
Phew. Way to level up, King.
Other things that gave me the ooft face
House Canteen is next to Sydney Opera House and the margaritas have just the right amount of salt on the rim – it was my first drink upon landing in Sydney and the level of sodium chloride reassured me I wouldn’t be getting any cramps for the next 24 hours. The tempura eggplant bao was also exquisite.
I can’t stop thinking about the lamb I had at Luke’s Kitchen, the classy restaurant located in the lobby of the Kimpton Margot Hotel. It was marinated in herbs, accompanied by smoked eggplant, pistachio tabouli and in a dressing that had olive shards and pomegranate playing ping pong in my mouth.
Canvas Restaurant is above the Museum of Contemporary Art with a frankly ridiculous view of Sydney Opera House to the right and the Harbour Bridge to the left. Manuel made me *an Over The Water cocktail with Japanese melon, coconut, green apple, lime and milk wash, complimented by a simple, moreish bakewell tart with davidson plum and creme fraiche.
The VIVID Fire Kitchen is a sprawling collection of hawker-style eateries. Brazilian Flame’s ever-so-tender meat was the pick of the lot, washed down by Gilbert Family Wines riesling. Tough life!
*three
Find out more ab0ut Vivid Sydney here.
Mikey Cahill travelled as a guest of Destination NSW and stayed at Spicers Potts Point.
