29 October 2024 – Riverstage, Brisbane – words by Lucas Bell – pictures by Bec Harbour
After a huge run of shows last year, Sydney electropop duo, Empire of the Sun made their return to Brisbane to give us songs off their latest offering, Ask That God. The album has drawn critical acclaim, and we were lucky enough to be there on the hill at the Riverstage to take in the new songs, plus some classics, live.
And supporting Empire of the Sun on this gargantuan tour, was alternative dance group, Crooked Colours, and pop duo, Sumner. Unfortunately, we were super late into the venue as Brisbane city traffic kinda sucks. So I actually missed all but the last maybe five minutes of Sumner’s set. But I really enjoyed what I heard. I hope I get the chance to see them again soon, because they felt really fun.
Sumner – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
Crooked Colours were out next. I want to preface what I say here, in that I loved their sound. Big fan of the live EDM vibes with a drummer and keyboardist. It’s the reason I adore bands like Pendulum so much. But I don’t know if they were a band that fit the bill for this kind of show. Especially with Sumner and Empire being more dance pop kind of bands, and Crooked Colours almost having a harder electronic edge. The music was dope as hell. I just don’t know if I liked them for this show. But there were some songs in here that slapped. ‘Hold On’ was killer. ‘I Hope You Get It’ was another great track. And the last two songs, ‘Flow’ and ‘Perfect Run’ sent the set home brilliantly. A great set of songs, for a crowd that did seem into it in the pit. The people where we were on the hill though didn’t seem as into it. Which is a shame, because they were really great.
Crooked Colours – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
As the lights dim by the Brisbane River, the lighting board I hadn’t really noticed until now lit up with some insane visualizers, as the backing band and dancers walked onto stage, to a massive pop from the crowd. Nick Littlemore then made an appearance on stage, before Luke Steele walked out in what I would honestly call a very impractical looking outfit to perform in. Yet, somehow, he moved and glided across the stage in this outfit so effortlessly, that it looked easy. Empire’s set didn’t really have a lot of speaking throughout, but the 17 song set was full of absolute bangers. ‘Changes’ opened the set up beautiful, before the band blasted through ‘The Feeling You Get’, ‘Half Mast’, and ‘Cherry Blossom’, which drew a nuclear level reception.
Empire of the Sun – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
I thought it was going to be the loudest crowd pop of the night, but then, of course, ‘We Are the People’ started, and the crowd were even louder, singing along and dancing throughout. The crowd vibes for this show were immaculate all night. But during the big songs, there was this almost wholesome unison. And not just different people living different lives. There were high schoolers, dancing and singing with grandmothers and grandfathers. Dudes that looked more like they belonged in a metal scene, dancing and singing with people dressed as ethereal fairies. It was an amazing 80 minutes of music.
Empire of the Sun – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
Empire blasted through more tunes, like ‘Concert Pitch’, ‘DNA’, and ‘Television’, before Luke really spoke to the crowd for the first time, talking about how his friend from Hawaii was in town and he wanted to bring him out for a few songs. The crowd was pumped for a potential guest singer, but it was someone in something I can only describe as a cute kawaii Cthulhu outfit, that was just hilarious. They danced to ‘Music on the Radio’ and ‘Revolve’, before we got back to the core band back into songs like ‘High and Low’, and ‘Swordfish Hotkiss Night’.
Another costume change came, before the title track of their new record, ‘Ask That God’ played. The visuals on this song were insane. So insane, that I can only imagine it would have been the closest to what an acid trip would be. ‘Happy Like You’ played, with the outro to ‘Wild World’ thrown in for a big crowd pop. ‘Walking On A Dream’ was another one that got the crowd moving and singing, before the show closed out with ‘Standing on the Shore’, and ‘Alive’.
Empire of the Sun – Riverstage – photos by Bec Harbour
Empire of the Sun are such an impressive band live. I have always liked them, and have been curious what the live show would look like. And it’s both exactly what I expected, and not at all close to how I thought it would be. If you ever get a chance to catch them live, don’t think about it. Just buy the tickets and enjoy the ride.
