[Review] Aminé @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 06/01/2023
On the 6th of January the beloved Forum Theatre welcomed in thousands of excited faces, eagerly awaiting for Aminé to hit the stage. Advancing into the foyer like an army of loyal troops, it was clear that Aminé fanbase was strong- united in their love for his intoxicating presence, and quirky persona. There was, however, one fan who was quite new to the scene, and uncertain of what to expect. This fan was me. I knew of Aminé, and of course was familiar with Caroline, the song that catapulted him to commercial recognition. However, it is safe to say, that my musical pallet surrounding alternative hip hop and rap was…rather dry. So, as I entered the Forum and took my spot amongst the buzzing crowd, I hoped and prayed that I might leave the show a little quenched.
And boy did I.
Starting off the night, Dj Classic warmed up the crowd with a classic game of call and response. Within a few minutes, strangers were acting like best mates, and it was clear that this pre show entertainment was there to lay the ground rules for the night: go wild, dance, but do it all as one. Following Dj Classic, B Wise took to the stage. I was majorly impressed with his ability to take the audience’s growing energy, and send it into the stratosphere. With songs like Who?! and Won’t Stop, B Wise demonstrated his slick lyrics and insatiable beats with incredible prowess; all the while maintaining a sense of gratitude and connection with his audience. With his concerted effort to look directly at his crowd, and his constant reminder to befriend and look after one another, B Wise felt like an artist at the top of his game, as well as a close and trusted friend. My favourite moment was when he took a moment to acknowledge his Nigerian roots before performing Ezzina, a song that oozed funk, heart, and soul. Side note: I still can’t get that guitar riff out of my head!
By this point in the night, the crowd of newly formed friends were as prepped as they could be for Aminé‘s entrance. So, when that moment came, and aminé danced his way onto the stage, the wild cheers was exactly what I was expecting. Kick starting his set with Mad Funny Freestyle, Aminé’s kooky lyrics and hilarious wordplay were accompanied by spectacular visuals that were as creative and dynamic as his rapping. Between Aminé‘s commitment to jumping around the stage, and the backdrop of neon coloured lights that featured garish yellows and hot pinks, it felt like we were witnessing the inside of Aminé‘s brain: an explosion of absurdity and playfulness. From start to finish, the Forum stage transported itself into a visual exploration of Aminé‘s creative genius; one where we got to witness his bouncy melodies, giddy synth, and hyper pop influence come to life.
It’s one thing to bop along to Charmander in the car. It’s another thing to experience it in a sold out venue, where it’s infectious energy and fast paced flow had me feeling so carefree that I almost felt weightless. What I also loved about Aminé‘s was the variety in his performance. Just when you thought the night might become one dizzying mosh, he’d bring us back down to earth with performances like shine that highlighted his slower melodies and more delicate, vulnerable vocals. I was particularly impressed with his falsetto in Shine and the smooth, glitzy guitar in the background. Aminé‘s musical confidence really showed itself through his ability to hook the crowd. Whether it was through a sugar rush state of energy, or a more reflective, down to earth moment, the crowd was there to drink in every moment and savor every minute. Finishing off the night with a consecutive performance of Spice girl, Caroline, and Reel It In, these three crowd pleaser songs provided a climactic high point that left the audience in a state of total appreciation and bliss. I left the Forum feeling more connected to hip hop and rap than ever before, and I have Aminé and his generous fans to thank for that. All in all, it was certainly a night well spent, and I cannot wait to see what craziness Aminé conjures up next.
Jacob Collier @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 4/12/2022
The packed Forum venue was already breezy with excitement and anticipation for the return of one of the most accomplished, one of a kind rising star acts of this century, Jacob Collier, who finally returned to Australian soil for his 82nd show of the Djesse world tour. And even after so many shows, oh boy did he deliver.
If there’s two words I can use to describe the quintessential Jacob Collier extravaganza, they would be ethereal and idiosyncratic. This was not an ordinary show in the slightest, but more-so a journey and collective insight to the mind of Jacob. From Collier enthusiastically running barefoot onto the stage jumping around and hyping the crowd, to swiftly sitting at his grand piano accompanying slower but funkier/soulful tunes lead by his band whose talents know no bounds.
Never before have I seen such a brilliant display of musical versatility brought out on stage. Jacob never ceased the flaunt of his multi-instrumentalism and extensive improvisation, as he’d tirelessly jump between multiple instruments in one song, like faster than a broke uni student catching money in a cash machine.
And whilst on the topic of things, I’ve never seen the kind of audience interaction/participation at a live gig than what was at a Collier gig and it is quite boldly unmatched. For Jacob managed to turn the entirety of a packed, sold out Forum into a harmonic and angelic choir for around 10 minutes straight, with such precise conducting of an ethereal, orchestral beauty that I never thought I would be amongst in my lifetime. The combination of this, non stop banter, and the occasional chat with the audience really made this whole experience personal and brought a togetherness among us
Now don’t get it twisted, our boogie boots were strapped on once Collier picked up the electric bass, and lead his incredibly talented band for back to back tracks Time Alone With You and All I Need. With his hit song Hideaway being amongst the set. Let me tell you that there was not on idle pair of legs amongst the crowd, as everyone moved like Bootsy himself.
We all thought it was over, and were waiting for the house lights to come on, as it had been set up with Jacob introducing his band and crew and smashing it one last time before triumphantly leaving the stage, but the audience were hungry for more. What started off as the quintessential “ONE MORE SONG” chant eventually became the iconic “Boom Boom Clap” rhythm of We Will Rock You, enticing the young Londoner to grace us with one last encore…..and oh boy did he do such a thing as he stormed the stage to the roar of hundreds of fans, right before delivering an incredible solo rendition of Somebody To Love by Queen. He even once again transformed the audience into a choir for the operatic sections of the iconic track, permanently leaving an incredible mark on us.
Thank you Jacob for a fantastic performance, well worthy of 2 sold out shows in Melbourne alone.
Hanson @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 16/11/2022
It was a cold and rainy Wednesday night and The Forum Theatre was already three quarters full thirty minutes before the opening act took to the stage. There had to be something special that drew the masses out of their warm homes in the middle of the week and Hanson was it.
The opening act was John Calvin Abney. A solo singer songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played a combination of country and folk music with a bit of the blues in it.
The venue was surprisingly full at this point and most of the crowd were supportive and involved throughout his set. The first thing that stood out to me was John’s fantastic harmonica skills. I’ve never heard solos executed so well on a harmonica. As a solo performer he sounded very full as his acoustic guitar laid down the rhythms and his harmonica took the place of the lead melodies.
His slower songs had a nice story telling element to them and invoked images of floating down the Mississippi on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Hanson took to the stage shortly after 9pm. The Forum Theatre was packed at this point. You could feel the anticipation of the crowd and knew that these were hardcore fans of the band. They opened the show with Waiting for this from their 2010 album Shout it out. The crowd exploded with screams and dancing soon as they took to the stage and this level of enthusiasm continued throughout the set.
They followed this up with Don’t Let Me Down from their new album, Red Green Blue. The new material has a slightly stronger rock edge to it and you can hear how the brothers have matured as musicians and songwriters.
I had wrongly expected most of the crowd to have come just to hear the hits like MMMBop and I Will Come To You.
Boy was I wrong. The crowd knew the words and sang along to almost every single song from Hanson’s huge 25 song set (even including a Bass solo and Drum solo), spanning their 27 year career.
Often times being even louder than the band. Despite that the sound on the night was fantastic. The sound engineer ensured the mix from the band was incredibly balanced and every musician was clearly heard.
From the beginning of their career Hanson were unfairly lumped in with the boy bands of that era and many people have a preconceived notion of who and what they are as artist. However, what I witnessed on the night was not a formulaic pop band but a band of highly skilled musicians who understand how to write and perform to serve a song.
This is a new Hanson that has left their boyish image behind and is honestly a bad ass rock band.
Enter Shikari @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 11/11/2022
The Forum in Melbourne would have to be one of my favourite venues, it looks absolutely stunning and I’m yet to hear a bad mix there, it’s magic. It has been a few years since I was last here and it still blows my mind when walking in. For those of you who haven’t been there, think a Greek auditorium inside a venue, an incredibly high ceiling with lights that look like stars, my words won’t do it justice, just go to a show there. It’s the perfect setting for tonight’s upbeat and energetic crowd who are an incredibly mixed bag, there were death metal shirts, the hardcore/punk shirts, the goth chicks, the woo girls and the guys that looked like they just finished work and come straight to the gig! Everyone was keen to be here.
Opening tonight are local up and comers Windwaker, who I found out during the set was the “new” singers first time fronting the band, apparently there was a change of the guard recently. For a first show taking the front, this guy nailed it. There is a reason these guys are getting more and more hype, they deserve it! Straight from the opening notes they came out hard and fast, the energy was high, and they smashed through their set with incredible precision. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands from the start with their catchy as hell riffs and then won over the filling room with an awesome cover of Britney Spears, Toxic. Great choice for opening tonight’s gig!
Creeper, punk, goth, English rockers had a hard time following up Windwakers incredible set but goddamn, they got there, won over and made a room full of fans out of The Forum by the end of their set. Going from energetic electro metal to a mix between Misfits and My Chemical Romance was a massive difference and you could feel it in the crowd, people were unsure but for their first Aussie gig ever, Creeper showed us the reason that they are the main supports for Enter Shikari. Their energy was incredible and regardless of crowd reaction or how little they had at the start, that front man riled them up got them to start a crowd chant and sing along. They have a female keyboard player who stayed to the back most of the time and had backing vocals occasionally but mid set she grabs a mic and comes center stage and sings a duet song with the male lead and they played their parts well, it was incredible to watch. Their set on a grandiose big sounding song that was the perfect ending and switch to the headliners.
Enter Shikari, the reason we all came out tonight, they bring with them a message of human kindness and disgust at the corporate/capitalist ideals, anyone who has listened to them or seen them live know they carry this mantra or outlook in life. Their crowd have the same vibe, the entire night, everyone is friendly and there to experience the ride of the show. Coming out to The Great Unknown, the crowd immediately starts singing and it doesn’t let up until the end of their set. Rou sets the rules, forget the outside world for the time of the show and 2nd rule is dance like nobody is watching, which everyone did. They blast through a great set of classics and latest material like The Pressure’s on, Dreamers Hotel and Juggernauts. When playing Destablise and Anaesthetist, the venue physically shakes when it hits the breakdown sections and the crowd are jumping, a man-made earthquake, there is no other feeling like it. The band take to the crowd towards the end of the set during Mothership, Chris and Rory jump down for a mosh and then Rou goes rogue and runs around the entire venue jumping through the crowd and crowd surfing everywhere. They end their set with a crowd singalong to Live Outside with and amazing coloured light show to match.
As previously mentioned, the Enter Shikari message carries some weight to it these days, it’s a reminder that you should be kind to each other, we are each human individuals that should be looking out for each other instead of having this ideal that we are against each other in all aspects of life. To live in the moment of the show and forget the worries of the outside world for 90mins is a small reprieve that they like to remind people. I don’t tend to get preachy in these things, but these guys live by their message, check them out if you haven’t already, well worth the listen.
