You’d be forgiven for thinking an iconic Melbourne nightclub was a bit of a strange choice for a guy perhaps best known as one third of Blue Mountains crew Thundamentals; forgiven, and then absolutely proved wrong. Tuka has long been producing solo work outside of Thundamentals, however the past couple of years have proved particularly fruitful. With an extended headline tour for his 2015 album Life Death Time Eternal under his belt, Tuka is once again on the road for his Don’t Wait Up tour.
Ecca Vandal was a pretty surprising decision as main support, but if you’re looking for a support acts to pump some energy into your audience, there are few artists better than Ecca. Her high energy, in your face style got the crowd geed up before the man of the hour hit the stage.
The shit-tonne of energy Tuka brought with him from the moment he walked out in front of the crowd was enough to put every hype man in Victoria out of business. With first support act Alphamama providing soaring backing vocals, Tuka opened his set in a way that suggested he was trying to break a rap-speed record. The crowd went nuts trying to bounce in time to his up-tempo versions of Just to Feel Wanted and Down for Whatever.
Perhaps the ghosts of Billboard got into the set, because there was a real club vibe going on. That being said, the Thundas boys have always been big on messages of peace and love, and Tuka maintained that theme tonight by jumping into the crowd mid-set to embrace his fans.
After climbing back on the stage, Tuka was full of thanks to his fans for their support over the past few years. He re-launched his set with some real sing-along numbers: My Star, Right By You, and a couple of Thundamentals tracks. He closed out with his cover of Big Jet Plane, the hit single Tattoo, and an encore of Die A Happy Man (with Alphamama more than ably subbing in for Jane Tyrrell).
The absence of hit single Nirvana was surprising, but then again, given the clubby vibe of tonight’s gig, you could argue there was no way of fitting it in. One thing is for damn sure though, with the ability to pack out such a large venue with so many adoring, Tuka’s star is seriously on the rise. Let’s hope with all that energy, he doesn’t combust.
BY EBEN ROJTER
LOVED: Such a solid support lineup. Makes a huge difference.
HATED: Group hug from the sweaty dude behind me. Just.
DRANK: Melbourne Bitter.
