Embarking on his maiden tour of Australia, Artemas is showing he can make the leap from TikTok-driven fame to something more substantial off the back of his live performances.
Here for the You're Really Early tour, the Oxfordshire-raised but now London-based recording artist seems to have arrived on our shores just in time actually, with his star set to continue to rise as fans lap up his brand of sleazy indie dance pop.While the – ahem – directness of some of his lyrics might not be everyone's cup of tea (see 'Not tryna be romantic, I'll hit it from the back, just so you don't get attached'), Artemas has already had to add shows after selling out venues along the east coast.
His appearance in the lush surrounds of Brisbane's The Princess Theatre (27 November) for the first of his two nights in the city was met with huge cheers.
The evening was opened by Melbourne/ Naarm DJ Denim, who had the right mix of grimey pop to set the tone, mixing in the likes of Charli XCX and Benny Benassi to start the dancing in time for Artemas to launch into his short and sharp set.
Denim - image © Keely Baker
Kicking off with 'I Always Kinda Knew You'd Be The Death Of Me', his set featured all his hits that are less about love in the traditional sense and more the new normal of situationships.
Running through most of his two 2024 mixtapes, 'Pretty' and his latest release 'Yustyna', including The Weeknd-flavoured slices 'Ur Special To Me' and 'You've Been A Bad Girl’ that show off his falsetto vocals, there were also tracks with a Dominic Fike edge like 'Cross My Heart' when he's in an indie-rock mood.
However, tracks that are his own take on darkwave sound like the glitchy and mournful 'If U Think I'm Pretty' and lo-fi but poppy 'Dirty Little Secret' struck a chord, before finishing the show with the aforementioned TikTok hit 'I Like The Way You Kiss Me'.
Artemas - image © Keely Baker
Supported by a three-piece band (who featured his producer and songwriting collaborator Toby Daintree), the crew had their sound tight, with Artemas also pulling out the guitar for two tracks (but for the most part concentrating on his vocals), with the live sound seeming to pack a bit more punch than the recordings.
More photos from the concert.
