Support act Otologic had warmed up the crowd nicely. By the time SBTRKT started, we were all amped up and ready to dance the night away.
Under the cover of their infamous masks, Aaron Jerome and his regular collaborator Sampha were warmly welcomed to the stage to open with Never Never. The mind-blowing instrumentals set the mood early, and only got better as the night continued.
Embarrassingly, the giant mask they used as a stage backdrop had a slight malfunction but didn’t seem to put SBTRKT or the overly-excited crowd down for long, especially considering the rest of the set was pretty much faultless. It continued with Hold On and immediately followed with Living Like I Do – just one of the many highlights.
The crowd were invited to sing their hearts out during Something Goes Right – an inspiring mix that everyone related to in some way. I think we were all sold at this point but it didn’t end there. Pharaohs had us jumping around, even without Rosie Gabor live on vocals. The recognisable dubstep, electronic and funk fusion was incredibly uplifting. The highs seemed even higher.
Jerome switched seamlessly between decks, drums and laptop while Sampha stood opposite, vocally harmonising and turning his hand to numerous other forms of percussion – not to mention playing piano on Trials of the Past. Every unique sound, beat and melody of their creation was given full respect and attention.
Sampha’s vocals were particularly outstanding during Sanctuary, harmonising with Jessie Ware like only a SBTRKT track can do. Soothing yet grimy.
What may come down to sentimental value, it was still Wildfire that stole the show. I remember hearing this track for the first time about two years ago in London, on Nick Grimshaw’s late night Radio 1 show. It was the most exciting thing I’d heard for a very long time. Of course, Little Dragon has a lot to do with the greatness of this track, but SBTRKT still impressed with those amazing instrumentals.
For the encore, Right Thing To Do with Jessie Ware was the two-step garage track we’d been waiting for all night – perhaps progressive post house pop at its best.
With Jerome announcing that this was to be his last headliner tour with Sampha, this was definitely one gig not to be missed. They certainly brought a taste of London’s cool music scene to Melbourne.
BY CHRIS BRIGHT
LOVED: Hearing Wildfire live.
HATED: The lack of A/C. It was too hot and sweaty to dance like a lunatic.
DRANK: Coronas.
