LIVE REVIEW: Smashing it with Tuka's 'Selling Me Out' tour

Climate change may be responsible behind the heat wave raising Perth temperatures, but it had nothing to do with the blazing hot performances we experienced in Jack Rabbit Slim’s last night. After a four-year hiatus from solo creation, Thundamentals’ Tuka graced us with his Selling Me Out tour.

There’s no doubt he hit the road running, with three highly impressive openers. Tobias opened the night with white jeans and fast beats, dedicating songs to his family and friends and keeping the crowd moving with quick rapping and a strong voice. He was followed by ALPHAMAMA, an independent R&B and soul performer with an impressive vocal range and captivating stage personality. Her songs about womanhood, strength and letting go of exes charmed the crowd so much she even got a proposal – which may seem hard to follow, but the following act, Penny Purr, certainly kept the atmosphere upbeat. With a strong personality and even stronger vocals, she rapped her way into our hearts. It’s always sensational to see local Australian artists delivering killer performances on stage, and it was fantastic to see them within the crowd and engaging with Tuka’s performance after their own as well.

Supporting the local community is something key to Tuka’s heart. Not only is he a sensational rapper, but he also actively responds to issues within the community, aiming to assist wherever he can. He runs an animal appreciation group called Catsquad, where he reminds us of the importance of random acts of kindness, whilst also celebrating his love for animals. Many of his fans engaged with Catsquad too, and donned neon cat ears as support – which looked great in a venue as naturally neon as Slim’s.

Neon, eager and upbeat, Tuka’s crowd was good to perform to and be in. When he came on stage, everyone screamed. He got started right away, thanking everyone for coming down to see him before launching into his music, lit up in jewel tones of green, reds and purples. Older tunes that stood out were ‘Tattoo’ and ‘Don’t Wait Up’ – but Tuka also played his new releases as well, including ‘F*ck You Pay Me’, ‘Trailer Trash’ and of course, Selling Me Out. Amongst those were Thundamentals tracks too, including the much-adored ‘Noodle Soup’.

Tuka commanded the stage with his energetic personality, dancing and truly performing, but at the same time he came down to the crowd’s level too, jumping off the stage and shaking hands, singing happy birthday to a few lucky members, and happily encouraging and participating in a group hug. Tuka always describes his fans as his peers, and it was sensational to see him walk the walk alongside talking the talk. There didn’t feel like there was a barrier between him and the crowd – everyone was engaged and slightly in love.

At the end of the night, no person was left without a smile on their face, with many lining up to chat with him over merch. The four-year wait was undoubtedly worth it. We’re very much looking forward to seeing where Tuka goes next – and can’t wait till he plays next month in Perth at Ice Cream Factory Summer Festival.