There is always something awe-inspiring about a local artist finishing their biggest, headline national tour to date in their home town.
Carmouflage Rose, one of Brisbane’s own, wrapped up his prodigious six-city tour at The Spiegeltent as part of Brisbane Festival (26 September).
In an age of better awareness about anxiety, Carmouflage Rose provides fly-away moments to embrace the tidal energy and enduring vibe his music embues. Tracks such as ‘Wildflowers’ and ‘Let Me Down’ capture this feeling with sonic depth, his vocals drenched in reverb.
It’s easy to forget he is not just a rapper, and his latest release 'Sele' is more of an Afrobeat song combined with modern electro than it is a hip hop joint, which adds a new element to his set.
But he does have plenty of bars within his catalogue grounded by a sinking bass and cracking beats that he is not afraid to unleash particularly early in his set.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t a little disappointed though to not hear his flavoured take on the 2008 Kanye West hit ‘Heartless’ live, which he performed with George Maple for triple j’s Like A Version late last year.
But nonetheless he can be forgiven particularly after a brief, yet touching shout-out to his mother on stage; by the time ‘Late Nights’ was performed, the crowd was suddenly on the edge of the stage.
This show was not only testament to Rose’s hard work, but a representation of the amazing talent coming out of Australia right now.
Having recently received his Australian citizenship and signing with an international booking agent, it seems like his conquest for international dominance is the next logical step. His Brisbane Festival show may be the first line of attack in this global conquest, but he did speak during the show about recharging – both artistically and personally.
At the very least, he is always guaranteed a massive turn out from his home town.
