A visitor to our golden shores only once – seven long years ago – Canadian trap, hip hop, cloud-rapping heavyweight Night Lovell finally returned on his 8 Legs Under tour.
The G59 artist has continued to make waves in the world of alternative hip hop, carving out his own lane, at his own pace, since erupting onto the scene a decade ago with viral hit 'Dark Light' and most recently with fifth studio record, 'I Hope You're Happy' (2023).
Quiet, introverted, and notoriously self-contained, Lovell has spent his career to-date releasing but a handful of records – usually, with multiple years between each endeavour.
Without the flash, flair and over-the-top bravado that's all too common in this saturated genre, Lovell has let his talent speak for him, and fans embrace the determination to retain sanity in a cutthroat world.
While this may have hindered his superstar potential – of which fans know he oozes – Lovell has remained true to himself, and retained his integrity and artistic vision alike by keeping a close-knit posse, and doing what he wants on his own time.
As a long-time fan, I'm excited to experience his sincerity and shadowy charisma in a somewhat-intimate setting.
Brisbane's The Tivoli seems the perfect backdrop for an evening of melancholy-soaked rhymes atop juicy 808s (15 November).
It's oh-so-fitting that the alt-loving legends at Destroy All Lines have orchestrated and facilitated this exciting evening.
I was greeted by a thick sea of smoke and haze the moment I stepped through The Tivoli's familiar doors – a clear sign of what had already transpired, and an even clearer indication of what was still to come.
Traversing through a sea of young fans eagerly and impatiently lining up for refreshments between acts, it was evident Lovell has remained as relevant as ever with the alternative youth scene.
As quickly as the lights dimmed, signalling Lovell's dramatic entrance, my retinas were blasted with a flurry of unrelenting strobes – another indicator of what the next hour would bestow on the audience.
Opening with 'Morrison' – backed by an equally hyped DJ – Lovell launched into a relentless sonic barrage, barely leaving a second of dead air across his 20-plus–song set.
There was an immediate roar from the crowd, and maintaining sight of the budding superstar became near-impossible with the sea of arms and phones obscuring every visible inch of the stage as punters attempted to capture every moment of this iconic and genre-defining artist.
Lovell's production was understated and simultaneously captivating as he opted for almost exclusively white lights throughout the evening, accenting the sombre, obscure, and obscene stationary imagery behind his blacked-out silhouette.
With exception to a moody flood of red during his performance of unreleased track 'Run', and two tracks later in the evening where all stage lighting was dropped and house lights, phones, and lighters illuminated the room, Lovell retained his mystique through near-anonymity, shrouded in darkness (which remained very much on brand).
These low-lit moments felt intimate and warm – an enjoyable polarity to the aggressive and abrasive ongoing strobing of the majority of the show, adding some much needed dynamism to the visual onslaught primarily endured. I like strobes as much as the next guy, but there was a lot tonight with little contrast.
Within a genre where often, poor performance is masked by backing tracks, Lovell delivered an exceptionally impressive performance of each live rendition of his extensive set list.
Like well-trained pets, the crowd hung on every word of this enigmatic young-blood, returning "oi, oi ois", waving their hands in unison, and of course, screaming his words back in impressive unison during fan favourites such as 'Bad Kid', 'Sucks To Be You', 'Joan Of Arc', 'Human' ($NOT cover), and 'Mary Jane'.
Lovell's performance during 'Jamie's Sin' (a personal favourite) was unceremoniously interrupted by an overly zealous crowd-goer who joined him onstage momentarily before being 'firmly' removed by a member of Lovell's entourage.
There were some strong words shared as a way of warning for any other overexcited fans who may have taken ideas from my now-least favourite concert-goer (seriously, we missed half of a banger because of you?!), which given the circumstances and Lovell's previous observations and comments on how drunk the crowd was, seemed quite fitting.
In contrast, showing a genuine appreciation to his fans, Lovell asked the crowd if there were any original fans in the crowd before quickly recognising his own merch from his last Australian visit on a punter heavily in the mix.
In a wholesome interaction, Lovell enquired to the punter as to whether or not he'd be interested in trading his vintage tee for some fresh merch, as Lovell himself did not have this specific keepsake from days gone by.
Ushered to the front, the fan happily agreed and resumed raging with a further renewed gusto. While liquor and enthusiasm can lead to some exciting moments (like the numerous rowdy moshpits springing up provoked or unprompted alike), decorum and respect for others was somewhat lacking from the evening's crowd.
The evening's showcase closed with 'Alone' and, of course, 'Dark Light' – another crowd-favourite and head-nod to the OGs; Lovell let his fans know he would be back as soon as he could be (which might be a while because we're "really f...ing far away"; a fair shout, really).
As a final farewell to his fans for the evening, Lovell took his chances taking position atop the barricade (or maybe it was fan shoulders – I cannot confirm) to send himself out with a bang in a moment that I'm certain will be fondly remembered by those who witnessed it for many years to come.
