I had seen these gigs pop up a few times before but they always clashed with other shows. However this time around I decided I needed to see what this was all about. I knew a couple of the acts on the lineup but that was about it, however in saying that, I always love to hear new artists.
As I arrived to the venue there was a small group of people waiting to get in, it turns out the set times that everyone posted were wrong so we had to wait. It wasn’t too long, about 20 minutes or so I think. But as you walked in you got given a trading card with one of the performers on it. I did see them post about it but the quality of the cards was awesome and I think I underestimated the hype around them. People were actually trading them and the cards were high quality. This is also a great marketing idea so propers to them for coming up with this. I received the card with ‘Ray Leslie’ on it.
Creationkit & TWG took the stage to kick things off as MC’s for the night. At first I wasn’t sure about it but once they warmed up, they were incredible. They vibes and bounced off the crowd really well and there was a good amount of comedy thrown in as well.
One thing I realised throughout this show was Tik Tok has well and truly become a part of everyday life. The hosts got the crowd to do “SHEEEEESH” a few times as well as “Can I get a HOIYA?!”. I don’t know how I felt about that but the crowd loved it and it definitely kept them engaged.
First to take the stage was Ray Leslie.
I was intrigued to see her performance as I obviously had her trading card. Though there was clearly some nerves, her delivery was still really good and she interacted with the crowd well. As she got further into her set the stage presence definitely picked up. I also don’t know if the stage clutter (mics etc) was possibly an issue. But I look forward to seeing her grow and just own that stage.
Next to take the stage was Lively. He was joined onstage by GiantKilla. I don’t know how often he had performed live before but you would have thought he has done this a lot. Lively had a great stage presence and flow. You could feel the confidence in that he knew that the stage is where he should be.
Brokeboi Ace was next up and there seemed to be a lot of anticipation in the crowd for his performance. It made me feel as though he had clearly been dominant in the scene then took a hiatus and now he was back, that was the vibe. But he got a very welcoming reception. He started his performance sat on a stool but would move between there and moving about the stage throughout his set. Before his set started I overheard people mention him taking his shirt off, so it was no surprise that people shouted it during his performance. But he didn’t’t hesitate and just chucked it off. Towards the end of his set he even bought up another artist on the lineup, Aidan Fine, to perform an unreleased track. It was awesome so keep an eye out for that, if they release it.
Speaking of Aidan Fine, he did a quick change and before you knew it he was back onstage. He was rocking a long coat which I had seen him wear during performances previously. But the thing that caught me off was the trucker hat he was wearing. It turns out he didn’t like the haircut he got so his girlfriend helped him shave it all off. It didn’t look horrible but I think it was more of a shock to people.
He was joined onstage by a 4-piece band, as well as a women who played the saxophone for a few songs before departing the stage. Another women (excuse me poorly not noting down names) also jumped onstage to contribute some vocals to a song. But I think he came to the end of his set well, by performing a new track with fellow artists Sam V and Brokeboi Ace.
Jarna was another artist I had seen before and she took the stage with her band. To kickstart the set she had to tell people a story about her outfit. There was a dark mark on the white shirt she had layered with a baseball jumper. It turns out NAME had wanted to show her a kick and hit her stomach, leaving a mark. Funnily enough NAME would join her on stage to perform a cover of ‘Weak’ by Jojo. Jarna is an incredible vocalist and works the stage and engages the crowd well. She is an artist that I definitely think should be doing big things, but I’m sure she will one day.
Now it was time for the face of this show to take the stage, Sam V. He took the stage in a full suit,. I don’t even know how to describe it. After he saw one of my shots he said he looks like a “dictator” so yeah. He also had a biker helmet on his head and an old floppy disk computer in his hand. He put the computer down, took off the helmet and stood on top of the computer. Turns out he was would use this as a platform and seat during his performance. Sam had a great stage presence and really knew how to work the crowd. The crowd seemed to be lapping it up. Like the previous acts he bought up another performer, Aidan Fine, to perform their track ‘M.I.A’ (if you haven’t seen the video for this track go watch it!). Sam even bought up 4 women to serenade and dance for during one of his tracks. He couldn’t do a lot of things with one of the women as he was one the band members partners. But he still interacted with her which helped it all flow.
Now that I have spoken about his performance, I need to talk about this – HE RIPPED HIS PANTS. Yes I am putting it in capital letters. I noticed as I was taking photos. It definitely was not the ideal angle to be at but I should be grateful he was wearing underwear. I wondered if I should say anything but the girls in the front row beat me to it. He didn’t want to change though and just kept the performance going. People soon moved on from it, a part from the odd moment where he would make a point of reminding everyone about it. But I have to give him props for continuing the performance and embracing it. Even when I asked him about the photos, he mentioned not to edit it out. After an encore performance, his set was done.
To wrap things up, he bought the Y$O crew onstage to say their thanks and take a bow. After a quick crowd shot, the show was done. But from the banter onstage, I am sure they went out partying afterwards. But after what I would say was an incredible night of performances, they deserve to celebrate.