Food, drinks, kick-ass tunes, great chats and some pre-party vibes set up a smooth transition into a beautiful night and our journey to explore Opiuo's last Australian show on his 'A Shape Of Sound' tour.
With a small but tight crew bringing flavours from around the globe, a Swede, a Thai, a Kiwi, two Aussies and a Persian entered into the the historical Princess Theatre (24 September) to the tail end and pounding bass and rhythms of Jordan Dennis' set.It had been a fair while since I had ventured into a club environment and was initially taken aback a tad by just how loaded the space was! Once I calibrated and scoped the lay of the land and settled, I was very aware of Jordan's message. His set was on you and in you!
After a quick transition, some water and a chat, party faves Mood Swing & Chevy Bass hit the stage with their vibrant energy, dapper costumes and bassy beats & grooves.
Scaled down from my previous experiences with this chunky/ funky outfit and their larger band format, I was led into new territory with a different experience of techno and club vibes. As usual, they brought the party and their artistic talent was obvious and infectious.
With their big bass beats, smooth sexy saxophone and shredding keytar, I was trying everything in my power not to exhaust myself before the main act, which I maintained for a bit.
But as soon as the 'Welcome To The Jungle' mega stomp encased the crowd, I was happily lost to the momentum of my body and emerged out the other side hunting for water given my dripping t-shirt. Always a pleasure to dance to Mood Swing & Chevy Bass.
After regrouping together, taking time for a breath and a quick toilet stop, a jaunt outside and up the footpath was unanimously voted on. Making our way through the main room towards the street, our collective feets were suddenly stuck to the floor and our attention firmly focused on the stage.
The opening 20 seconds of sound from Opiuo had us all mesmerised; we all looked at each other in unison with same expression; 'Holy sh.t, we can't leave this now!'
It wasn't just the dazzling visuals and boost in decibels, it was the shape of the sound. You knew and felt that you were hearing someone's passion and soul.
From this point on I was gone! It was a frantic opening start, I was relieved when I finally had a chance to catch my breath! The element of live percussion, and a fluid and receptive crowd made the whole experience engaging and connected.
Opiuo's big, stomping, party tracks begged my feet to find enough space to explore the waves of his oceans of melodies.
Seasoned with with everything from Spanish flavours to beautiful brassy tones, the energy ebbed and flowed all night on an upward trajectory. It had all the elements that I had hoped for.
His humble and positive interactions with the crowd added to a very well balanced and cohesive set; obvious fan faves like 'Sneakers' and a blistering five minutes of live drum and bass injected full body crowd explosions from head to toe which tore the roof off.
Opiuo spoke openly to the crowd inviting people to follow their dreams and hearts, and encouraging everyone to have an amazing and beautiful life. Taking time to gaze over the very happy crowd at this point, it was littered with smiles of joy and appreciation.
With a short but well timed encore, our ears and hearts were graced with a live version of 'Snorkle', which had me digging deep into the well of of my energy reserves for one last stomp.
With a bit more room to move, I popped and locked, shimmed and shuffled, twirled and whirled and let it all go! It was rad AF! I had so much fun! I can not remember the last time I left a show so exhausted and dripping wet from dancing.
I cannot wait to see this artist again, such a pleasure!
