Hermitude Live in Perth
It was the second night of their Australian tour, and it was completely sold out. Held at Metro Freo, it was Hermitude’s second soldout night in Perth. The electronic duo from the Blue Mountains, NSW have been making music together since they were each 16 and 11, back in 1994, and have just released their fifth studio album Dark Night Sweet Light. The crowd was well warmed up by supports Jayteehazard and Basenji, but nothing could prepare me for what was to come.
Jayteehazard was up first with a string of trap, Jersey, and hiphopinspired beats, and was mesmerising to watch. His turntabling skills were something to be reckoned with, and his technique was impeccable. DJ’s are often criticised for not putting effort into live shows, but there was no messing with Jayteehazard, who slipped in some originals from his EP Red Shift with current club regulars like Future’s “Gotta Move that Dope”. It’s always difficult playing a cold room, but he seemed to be really enjoying himself, and got people’s feet shuffling and hips shaking in no time.
Next was Basenji, who I have to admit, struggled after Jayteehazard. I have seen him play sets before, and am usually loving it, but this time, he just didn’t seem quite onto it. He played his regulars à la Dofflin, even dropping fellow Astral People artists Cosmo’s Midnight’s new track, which is yet to be released. Basenji did still get the crown moving though, and it was around the middle of his set, that it started to get really packed.
The crowd’s anticipation was now getting towards its peak. The lights dimmed, and people started to shout and clap. The LCD screen behind the stage lit up, and it felt like we were being transported to a different land, with animated mountains and stars flying past on the screen, as dreamy “Shift” was playing. The crowd broke out into a roaring cheer as light flooded the stage and Hermitude ran out, pumping the crowd up with the regular “Let’s Party!” encouragement, which was admittedly a bit odd for people who aren’t in their mid20s to say in my opinion, but those preconceptions quickly eroded.
As expected, most of the set featured songs from Dark Night Sweet Light. “Through the Roof” and “The Buzz” were definite crowd pleasers, with barely anyone able to resist the urge to throw up their arms and dance. “Hyperparadise” was played à la Flume, which was a pleasant surprise. An even nicer surprise was when Angus Stuart pulled out his launchpad from the desk and brought it to the front, playing it like a keytar, egging the crowd on.
Hermitude are definitely a staple of amongst Australian electronic music producers, and their live show was nothing short of amazing. The mesmerising light show and visuals played perfect complement to their hiphop based electronic dance music. Everyone there could feel the buzz, and it was definitely Hermitude’s electrifying stage performance that attributed to it.
