Going from a crowd of zero at Strike Bowling to playing a sold-out 25,000 show slap bang in the middle of Perth is an incredible feat Australian producer Dom Dolla has managed to accomplish in a considerably small amount of time.
Dominic Matheson, aka Dom Dolla, is a rising star in the house music scene, making a name for himself with his high-profile collaborations including his Grammy-nominated remix of Gorillaz and Tame Impala's 'New Gold'.Where else would you rather be on an incredibly hot evening (7 December) than bopping to a Flight Facilities DJ set as the Sydney-based duo warm up an already sizzling crowd for a night with daddy Dom.
The set sees an incredible takeover of tunes splayed out across a decade of hits, mashing '00s house bangers and blending them into dancefloor grooves in a beautiful display of music knowledge.
There's a smell of anticipation in the air. . . or maybe it's something else. A restless crowd grows a little eager with anticipation as a delectable, moustachioed hero steps out onto the decks receiving a dozen swoons and screams as he does so.
Setting the scene with unreleased track 'Sunny Days', a tantalising hi-hat build that explodes into a hypnotically seductive electronic sway, Dom follows up with another one for the girls with 'It Girl' by Aliyah's Interlude. He really is that girl.
Flames burst below the stage as the Aussie EDM legend stands high above the crowd on a podium, a series of white spotlights shape him as a god-like figure looking down on his subjects. On either side, a set of extravagantly massive 20-metre LED screens slotted at angles – it's a digital multi-media masterpiece of a performance as each song builds and builds in intensity.
Image supplied
Dom Dolla masterfully blends tracks with needle-like precision stitching together a high-octane show as an adrenaline-rushed crowd screeches the words of an absolutely filthy bass version of 'Summertime Sadness' by Lana Del Rey.
There's great skill in the way Dom takes snippets of songs, pummels them with an intense bass and refines them into diamonds with an absolutely dirty drop that never fails to get the crowd going.
The visuals alone are worth the price of admission. A sea of green lasers slice through the sky like an alien invasion set against the Perth skyline. While flames and smoke erupt in perfect sync with the music. At one point, Dom declared: "This is house music," as the crowd roared back, fully immersed in the experience.
His own hits held up against the onslaught of mix-heavy cuts as a precession of 'San Frandisco', 'Saving Up' and even the Nelly Furtado-assisted 'Eat Your Man' brought a storm to the heart of Perth.
The night is a wild, roller-coaster ride filled with incredible climactic rises and intense drops that get your heart racing over an 808 beat, an armada of strobe lights and enough pyrotechnics to set the whole city ablaze.
The dancefloor daredevil kept the crowd on their toes with surprises like a cover of 'Breathe' by The Prodigy, the stunning 'New Gold', and an effervescent remix of 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' by Kendrick Lamar.
The pulsating basslines and relentless energy tore through the night like one, giant, hypnotic engine of sound leaving no time to catch a breath, especially when Dom dropped a monologue from the movie 'Trainspotting': "Choose life. Choose a future," leading into an ungodly drop.
One of the standout moments came on the fan favourite and triple j's Hottest 100 #4 of 2024 'Rhyme Dust', where a devilishly grinning Dom teased a begging crowd with a slow build before the drop hit like a tidal wave of sound, flooding Wellington Square with flames, fireworks and a heck of bass.
Tracks like 'Set Me Free' and 'Black Betty' kept the momentum alive as Dom threw out shoutouts to an electrified crowd hanging off his every command, noting "Sydney could never".
"Perth, make some f...ing noise for yourselves," he boasts with a sweaty victory smile before stepping off stage to a rumble of delighted punters.
From start to finish, the night was a relentless ride through massive drops, searing pyrotechnics, and a light show that could rival the technology at NASA. From the energy of the crowd to the flawless production, Dom didn't just bring a show – he brought an unforgettable experience. Perth showed up, and daddy Dom delivered.
It was a night of musical and visual mastery, cementing the young producer as one of the most exciting live acts in electronic music currently.
- written by Sam Mead
