Hayden James @ The Astor Theatre
w/ Carmouflage Rose
Saturday, September 8, 2018
There’s something about Hayden James. The beloved Australian producer hit Perth’s Astor Theatre last Saturday night for a night of hypnotic bangers. For a rainy spring evening, the venue was absolutely pumping with party goers keen on grabbing a taste of the artist’s latest Just Friends tour.
As the audience flooded in from back, Carmouflage Rose dropped bombs of juicy beats and witty word play. This guy truly knows how to ignite a buzz in the room, and his energetic presence worked hard to lift the atmosphere. The heavy hitting rapper out of Brisbane’s stride was unbreakable, despite the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm in singing along initially. He came soaked in style and delivered a cracking performance, which ultimately got the room bouncing. Highlights included his performance of crowd pleasing tune Late Nights, for which he entered the audience and performed on the shoulders of his fans under smartphone spotlights.
The galaxy moved across an enormous onstage screen to the heartbeat sound of anticipation. Under a yellow glow of light while the stars moved behind him, Hayden James emerged on stage after an intermission that seemed to last a lifetime. The crowed received him with piercing screams and a thunderous roar of delight, unaware as to the wonder that was to come. Just A Lover exploded the scene as the opening track to an enormous show of clever lighting and mind absorbing visuals.
Showcasing his broad and vibrant range of remix treatment, he performed Duke Dumont’s Ocean Drive and ODESZA’s Say My Name which brought some additional and unexpected spice to the night. He glowed with complete comfort on stage, solidifying his current state of success as one of Australia’s most vibrant producers and live performers. His energy was authentic and flowed off the stage into his ecstatic audience. All throughout the set he allowed moments for them to scream the lyrics to his melodious tracks in a uniquely unifying experience.
The highlight of the night was his encore. Upon his return to stage the emotionally thick track Numb featuring GRAACE vibrated off the walls and pumped straight through the mass of bodies standing before the stage. The artist had each and every person in the room involved and in love with the moment, as he closed the show with this unforgettably raw tune.
Hayden James was engaging throughout and gave an authentic show packed with infectious tunes. An evening that started slow built into an unstoppable force of fantastic vibes.
SARAH DAY
Photos by Damien Crocker
