Groove Armada @ Kings Park
w/ Midnight Juggernauts, CLYPSO, Foura
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Marking 25 years since their inception, Groove Armada have just released GA25, a retrospective of their career. Featuring new mixes and updated versions of their hits, the release coincided with their final ever tour which touched down in Perth on Sunday. A sell out crowd flocked to Kings Park with picnic blankets under their arms on an unseasonably cold afternoon. It may not be the way Groove Armada fans used to party, with cheeses and deli meats, but don’t be fooled – when Groove Armada took the stage it was the open air dance party you would expect.
Welcoming the punters was Melbourne DJ Foura. Tasked with the difficult job of playing to people finding the perfect spot to set up, it’s a shame she wasn’t on later in the proceedings. Her song selection and mixing was second to none, weaving between dance heavy tracks and pop songs from the likes of Bicep and Nelly Furtado. DJing to a distracted crowd can’t be easy, so she deserves props.
Following a Welcome to Country from Kerry Ann Winmar, Sydney producer and vocalist CLYPSO introduced the first live element into the lineup. Playing tropical electronica, initially she brought to mind MIA, before she dove into some more pop numbers. Flitting between her small synth/sampler setup and the mic, she tried her best to make the giant stage her own, but looked a bit lost. Unfortunately her sound also got lost on the wind and with the elements against her, her set suffered. A cover of Pure Shores was a good addition, but her own songs like Sidestep and Defend Your Situation are actually super cool. It’s worth giving her a listen.
It would have been so fun if Midnight Juggernauts played live, instead they did a DJ set and to be perfectly honest it was a bust. There were some great song selections, like Moloko, The Avalanches, even Talking Heads, but instead of mixing a set like Foura had, they dropped full tracks and sometimes didn’t even manage to beatmatch. This could have been forgiven if they had any stage presence, but they didn’t. They interacted with each other, but neglected the crowd of thousands in front of them. Instead they had a VR headset, which Daniel Stricker wore, that showed up on the screens as a Bitmoji djing. Only one of their own tracks, Shadows, made it into the set, but tracks from Black Box, Cassius, and Daft Punk were appreciated. Unlike their inclusion of a Kirrin J Callinan song, who exposed himself on the ARIA red carpet a couple of years ago. Way to miss the mark with that clanger, yikes.
The moment that Groove Armada took the stage the air electrified and the whole atmosphere of the gig changed. People hopped up onto their feet, whipping out their phones, and yelling in excitement. The designated dance area started to fill up and if you looked back from the stage, the sloping hill was now a throng of dancing bodies.
Playing as the full live experience, the duo were joined by musicians and vocalists, including Saint Saviour, Veba, and the inimitable MC M.A.D. Opening with tracks from their later releases, albums that perhaps lacked the hits of their earlier LP’s, gave the impression that we might not get the ‘best of’ set we had hoped for. Nevertheless, watching Saint Saviour command the stage was fantastic. She dances like some sort of spider, an odd description sure, but it was primal. She even snarled at the crowd, weaving us into her web. It was hypnotising.
The vibe changed with each vocalist. Where Saint Saviour scared us, MC M.A.D. was the ultimate hype man. “Sunday night? Barmy! Let’s Party” he announced before skanking across the stage from end to end. He brought the party. As lasers threw light across the crowd and into the trees and as the first lines of My Friend rang out there an audible “awwww” from everyone. However, not ones to slow the pace, it was mixed into Song For Mutya, another easily recognisable bop.
When Veba took the stage, wearing a cape and superwoman belt, she pointed out someone in the crowd saying “I’ve been watching you loving it the most” before launching into absolute highlight Easy. A mirrorball threw stars across the dome on the stage and everyone’s dancing became more frantic. Given the GA25 treatment, the track was transformed into a faster, driving dance hit that lent itself to fancy footwork.
It was the theme of the night, most tracks had been translated from the original recordings into updated versions. While this might have left some disappointed, it seemed the purpose was to keep people on their toes. However, for the casual fan there were really not enough of the big hits. That said, it was still a solid set for those familiar with the group. Paper Romance was a fun one, as was Get Down, with people trying to negotiate dropping down low and managing to get back up! Harder than it sounds after a few drinks. But you know it was I SeeYou Baby that really got bums wiggling. The first song of the set that really had people yelling in excitement, it felt magical as every single person was “shaking that ass.”
What could top that? Well, as they wrapped up, a trombone was brought on stage and everyone anticipated what that meant. The opening bars rang out and the crowd lost all control for Superstylin’. MC M.A.D. is the original vocalist and it was such a treat for the OG to be there for this track, unlike some of the other songs where vocals were on a backing track. He danced and skipped across the stage and as you looked across the crowd it was a sea of smiling faces throwing their hands up and dancing their hardest. It was that sense of shared experience and witnessing something pretty special, a bonding experience.
After a short break, they encored with slow hit, At The River, which gave everyone’s feet a little respite. Each vocalist said goodbye with a song, and they finished up with Superstylin’ AGAIN! A strange choice when there were so many big hits missing in the set, but given it’s their last tour no-one seemed to mind.
It’s always sad to farewell a group, especially one who soundtracked a lot of our nights out and fondest memories, but what a send off and what a legacy.
SHANNON FOX
Photos by Maclay Heriot
