With a sense of anticipation in the venue, the crowd eagerly awaited the performance, which was expected to revisit their bold third album, Ego Death.
Melbourne’s own Kaiit set the tone for the evening. It was a humble and easy-going support performance, with a blend of familiar songs like ‘Natural Woman’, covers, spoken word and heartfelt mentions of The Internet.
“Thanks for the love, even though you don’t know any songs,” she said. “You’re going to love The Internet, I’ve been fucking with them since high school.”
The shape-shifting group had a casual presence about them as they rolled onstage, opening with ‘Under Control’.
Vocalist Syd led the crowd through a perfectly layered sandwich of both Ego Death tracks and introductions of the band members and their solo projects.
Guitarist Steve Lacey stole the venue with his performances of ‘Ryd’ and ‘Dark Red’, before erupting into a dance party which featured ‘Dontcha’ from The Internet’s 2013 album, Feel Good, accompanied by captivating psych-rock guitar solos.
Keyboardist Matt Martian revealed his work on a new project, following the release of The Drum Chord Theory in 2017. The Odd Future member performed ‘Diamond In Da Ruff’.
The crowd also heard from bassist Patrick Paige II and drummer Chris Smith, who worked their current and upcoming solo sounds into the set with Ego Death tracks ‘Just Sayin/I Tried’ and ‘Girl’.
The night came to a toned down ending as Syd performed works from her solo album, Fin. Revealing that these songs are “very personal” and “talk about [her] insecurities”, she drew the crowd in with intimate and soulful tracks ‘Know’, ‘Body’ and ‘Gabby’, revealing her solo project had more on the way shortly.
It was a short and swift ending for The Internet as they performed popular anthem ‘Get Away’ and left the stage.
It was a set that nobody could expect, and that’s what made it so satisfying. Despite being a collaboration and exploration of the solo work of five artists, the performance felt completely whole and integral to The Internet’s identity and sound.
Highlight: Steve Lacy’s epic guitar shredding.
Lowlight: No reveal of a new The Internet song/album yet.
Crowd Favourite: When the crowd got involved in chanting “You fucked up” in ‘Just Sayin/I Tried’.
