Somewhere in the desert between UFO sightings and neon motel signs, the Forum Melbourne was host to a close encounter of the citrus kind.
Under arches soaked in red smoke and the blue-lit night-sky above (25 July), Dope Lemon and supporting act Pamela led us on a psychedelic cruise through the cosmos with windows down and arms in the air.With a full house at the historic venue, an energy of slow-burning anticipation pulsed through the theatre of dreams. The room was heavy with smoke and a shared craving for that line between hallucination and live music to be blurred.
On this crisp July night, the stage was first handed over to Pamela, the enigmatic Naarm-based duo who stirred the crowd with silky vocals and hypnotic grooves.
Their set brought moody, magnetic waves that felt lit like moonlight through blinds, really setting the scene for what was to come: a dreamy descent into Dope Lemon's otherworld, where golden wolves roam and reality dissolves in haze and bass.
Dope Lemon - image © Andrew Briscoe
Entering the stage to thunderous applause and setting the room ablaze with the rockin' sound of drums and electric guitars that danced like desert mirages, Dope Lemon materialised.
Fronted by Angus Stone, his velvety vocals washed over the crowd like golden smoke across sand dunes. Backed by a tight ensemble of instrumentalists dressed in black, the scene was anchored by the unmistakable silhouette of the iconic cowboy hat.
Brad Heald (bass, synth, guitar) added dusty basslines, Elliot Hammond (drums, percussion, vocals) brought earthy beats, and Ben Edgar (guitar, banjo, synth programming) painted shimmering sonic landscapes. Also bringing an additional layer of harmonics that howled like a wolf was Naarm local, Jack.
As the smoke curled lazily above the crowd, the gang started with much-loved crowd-favourite 'Stonecutters', with a dramatic and electric ending that perfectly tied into their next song, 'How Many Times'.
We were truly on a journey down the desert road and heading towards a neon-lit motel lounge, with smouldering grooves moving through the crowd with each strum of guitar.
As Angus asked the full-house: "How the hell are we doing tonight?", the room erupted with a unanimous "great!" as he told us tales of his youthful connection to 'The Blues Brothers' movie and inspiration for their next song 'John Belushi'.
Dope Lemon - image © Andrew Briscoe
As more desert cats and critters joined the band onstage, the mind-bending graphics behind the band took us further into the surreal sonic universe.
With a swift guitar change for Angus and a whisper of winds between songs, the crowd erupted with excitement as we heard another well-known track, 'Marinade'. The echoing sound of the familiar lyrics: 'She got attacked by a pack of dogs, but it's ok / Do you want me just how I am / Oh, let's go steady,' blending the danger and devotion of a magnetic love confession.
The whole room was moving and grooving, the perfect time for my personal favourite, 'Hey You' to be played. The velvety guitar licks filled the room with a sultry sense, every note felt like a lingering glance. With Jack's harmonica butting through the haze, he played like a bluesman with fire in his breath.
As the show began to unfold like postcards of a sun-faded road trip through the desert, the band took us on a journey through some of their newer songs from their latest album 'Golden Wolf'. Equal parts mystic and mirage, this new track had the crowd immersed in introspection while melting to the fresh groovy sounds.
By the time 'Honey Bones' rolled in, we were spellbound in a salute to drifting between dreams. Each track invited us to get lost in the beauty of surrendering to the mystical sounds of the desert landscape of sounds.
Dope Lemon - image © Andrew Briscoe
As blue lights and smoke filled the starry-night sky, Anugs reminded us "time is all we have, time is all we get. So do the things that make us feel alright."
After taking us to desert-scape dreamland, the citrus stars turned it up a notch with an electrifying guitar solo from Ben, giving the room of admiring fans a sense of shared wonder as we headed towards the end of the show.
The dreamy decadence of 'Rose Pink Cadillac' coasted across the crowd as we danced under neon pink skies with a bounce of joyful weirdness. Melting into the infectious sway of crowd favourite 'Uptown Folks' it felt familiar and warm, like the nostalgia of listening to vinyl.
The epic theatre erupted with applause for the lemony legends, chanting and begging for more of their sweet, yet spicy sounds. Feeling teased with the excitement for more, everyone in the room cheered and clapped until the band felt persuaded enough to come back to the smoke-filled, green-glowing stage.
Dope Lemon - image © Andrew Briscoe
Keeping with the same high-level of energy we heard 'Yamasuki - Yama Yama'; with a dark, psychedelic essence to the song we were taken straight back into the dreamy desert.
As the opening chords of 'Home Soon' shimmered across the room, the energy shifted into a tender, soft hug we didn't expect and didn't know we needed. We were being driven home after this cosmic road trip and would be 'home soon' while Dope Lemon left in a haze of smoke, smiles and golden dust.
Angus and his golden-rind groove crew had taken the patrons of the venue on an unexpected detour down a side street of the subconscious, it felt like a whispered promise from a friend: strange journeys are worth taking, especially when you know your way home.
The Forum was the perfect vessel for Dope Lemon's brand of velvet-draped psychedelia. Beneath its star-flecked ceiling and Romanesque arches, the venue felt an otherworldly oasis where sound became smoke and time softened at the edges.
As me and my friends, Susan and Julia, debriefed about the show in the towering, arched hallways we giggled at the immersive sonic spurious board of landscapes that we had just experienced. It was the perfect balance between fantasy and flair; what a venue, what a show.
More photos from the concert.
