17 August 2023 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Damien – pictures by Nino Lo Giudice
Do you remember learning about ‘collective nouns’ at school? You know, like the idea that a group of crows is called a ‘murder’, or a bunch of owls, a ‘parliament’, or several geese are a ‘gaggle’.
Well, I don’t know what the collective noun is for a gathering of queer and non-binary folk, but I can tell you there was a G-Flippin’ shit-tonne of us at the Tivoli on Thursday night, and whilst the audience was predominately made up of people in the 18-25 bracket, there were enough within the over 30 contingent for a millennial like me to still feel relevant.
The reason for this gathering?
One of Australia’s most prolific non-binary performers, and advocates for social equality, Georgia Flipo, a.k.a G Flip. is in town to perform the first show of their ‘Drummer’ tour.
And a highly anticipated show it is too. So much so, the line for the front door had stretched nearly two city blocks by the time the locks were opened, and entry was granted.
Before the opening act had even stepped on stage, the legendary Brisbane Venue was already packed to full capacity, thus amplifying the excitement for the night.
Of course, the first question was, ‘how will the support act handle this electricity?’.
The answer? Brilliantly.
Opening proceedings for the night was local star, Hope D – a perfect match musically.
Within seconds of stepping up to the microphone the indie pop-rocker had won over the crowd with her authenticity and honesty, declaring that she may struggle to get through the set as she had been screaming for the Matilda’s the night before.
Despite our women’s football team, having been painfully defeated by England in that match, Matilda Mania had clearly gripped the nation, and the simple mention of our nations pioneering team of female superstars sent the Tiv into hysterics.
From there the energy just got bigger as Hope D and her band kicked into their signature blend of hip-hop infused pop-rock, immediately getting heads nodding and feet tapping.
The joy on the stage was glorious with smiles being shared regularly between the four musicians, who were clearly having a great time, and this reflected directly into the audience, who were not only enjoying the uplifting positivity being exuded from the stage, but also the exceptional musicianship on display.
It is a sheer masterclass on how to fulfill the role of a support act. Hope D’s engagement with the crowd is superb and the room is already bouncing as the band worked through a number of well-known original tunes as well as new song, ‘Ticking F**king Timebomb’. You can already tell from the atmosphere being created that an eruption was imminent once the headliner’s time to arrive was called.
The audience noise is rushing towards fever pitch and is sent into a frenzy when Hope D plays a cover of Britney Spear’s Toxic, which they had performed previously on Triple J’s Like A Version.
Rounding out the set, the four-piece group finish with their break out hit, ‘Second’, and the brightness within the predominantly rainbow crowd is radiating intensely.
So much so, many within the audience continue to sing along with the house music being played during the changeover.
Enter G-Flip.
In true theatrical style, the stage is darkened, with the only lights coming from inside the two kick drums on the riser at the rear of stage, both of which feature the headliners name.
The spotlight flicks to the drum stool, upon which sits the star of the evening, poised dramatically with one arm in the air.
If the people enjoying the Brisbane Ekka in the showgrounds next door weren’t previosuly aware that something special was happening at the Tivoli tonight, they were now. The roar from the crowd was earth moving, and with the command of a born entertainer, G-Flip gestures the crowd to get louder with one hand, whilst twirling a drumstick in the other.
With everyone now fully captivated the music begins with the artist launching their set through a drum driven instrumental, which is succeeded by the album opener ‘7 Days’ and quickly followed up by previous hit, ‘Hyperfine’.
G Flip’s command of the stage is unbelievable, rating alongside the likes of a Freddie Mercury.
With a larger-than-life presence they move from the drums, down a flight of stairs to the front of the stage and then to a grand piano, holding every audience member in their hands as they do so.
But if one was to assume that someone with such a magnitude of confidence must also be consumed by ego, they would be mistaken.
Following the second song of the night, G-Flip comes to address the crowd, humbly thanking and acknowledging everyone in the room, ensuring that all members of the sell-out crowd felt valued for being a part of the show, and, also, to announce that this was a safe environment and that no ‘dickhead’ behaviour would be accepted.
The appreciative crowd again cheer and the music continues with performances of ‘Baked’, ‘Rough’ and ‘About You’.
The lighting is sensational and the choreography from the leading artist is of highest quality, with every flash and every movement happening with purpose. It is the sort of spectacle you would expect at a Superbowl Half Time Show, especially the moment during ‘Rough’ where our front person was joined by two other drummers, skilfully sharing several floor toms between them, whilst a fourth drummer raged behind them on the kit. Needless to say, the pulsing rhythm could be felt within every chest in the room.
G-Flip is faultless in their professionalism and performance, and yet gloriously balances this through the wonderfully human act of sipping from a flask of tea, with the tea bag still hanging from the side, as they transition between songs.
We’re about a third of the way through the scheduled 90min set, and what would an album and tour called, ‘Drummer’, be without a drum solo?
And what a solo it is.
To quote the woman standing next to me: ‘This is where Travis Barker goes for drum lessons!’
It’s actually hard to find enough superlatives to describe what a talent G Flip is. Their ability to masterfully play, and transition between, the piano, guitar and drums whilst keeping complete vocal control and also holding the full attention of nearly two thousand people through a dynamic physical performance, is beyond exceptional.
G-Flip is a musical god who should be adorned upon the world’s biggest stages.
After receiving the adoration from the enthused audience, our attention is than moved to an acoustic guitar for a moment of shade within the bellowing brilliance of the bright lights and banging beats.
It’s a lovely contrast, and better still, accentuates the brashness of the next song, ‘Get me out of here’, which its like an explosion to the face after the mellow country slides that had preceded it.
This then sets up a well-polished medley of tracks that roll wonderfully into one another. Featuring ‘Killing my time’, ‘You and I’ and the ever popular, ‘Queen’ this run has the entire room dancing like it’s a hot summer night in Ibiza, and the temperature in the room at this point would fool you into believing that to be true.
The set continues, moving through other songs from the new album including, ‘Real Life’ and ‘Good Enough’, as well as earlier song, ‘Morning’.
At this point in the show, the climaxes to each song are so huge, that anyone of them could serve as the finale, but we’re not done yet.
G Flip has the charisma of million-dollar motivational speaker, and so devoted are their fans, you almost believe that if the artist was to start a cult tomorrow, several thousand people would happily sell all their positions and follow their leader to a ranch outside Toowoomba.
Thankfully, this seems unlikely to be the case.
Instead, we are lead to sing along to the 2019 hit single, ‘Drink to Much’ which lands wonderfully with the youth heavy audience.
To the thrill of many, a second star in the room now has attention thrown in their direction, as GFlip acknowledges their wife. ‘Selling Sunset’ star, Chrishell Stause, who has been in the front row the entire evening. This makes way for ‘Be Your Man’, the song that was written for Stause by her beloved.
It’s a beautiful moment and the power and emotion of the song is added to by the heavily LGBTQ+ crowd who sing along with rigorous fervour.
Drawing closer to the end of the night, the humble spirit of GFlip is again highlighted through their desire to give praise and accolades to those who have supported them on their journey. In this instance, it is Brisbane producer, Aidan Hogg, who has now joined the band on stage with a guitar of his own in order to play ‘Worst Person Alive’ – a song GFlip states as possibly the best song on the album.
The announcement that we are now at the last song for the night, receives a unified call from the crowd to sing, ‘Gay For Me’, and their cries do not fall on deaf ears.
In what is a brilliant end to a perfectly produced performance G Flip drives home their second most streamed song to date (the most being ‘Drink to Much’) and manages to slip in a verse and chorus of Ginuwine’s ‘My Pony’ in the middle, which sends the Tivoli into a meltdown of screams.
Without a doubt, the work and effort that has gone into this show is of the highest quality and is sure to be rewarded with both sellout crowds and industry praise as the tour continues.
The ‘Drummer’ tour played a second sell out show in Brisbane on Friday, before heading to Cairns en route to Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Torquay, Sydney and Newcastle
