Pogo @ The Rosemount Hotel
w/Jack Dutrac
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Think old-school Disney movies, think psychedelics, think tie-dye, think 08/09/ 10 YouTube sensation and you get Pogo. He’s a fairly elusive producer in the Perth scene and has appeared to have been laying low the last couple of years, so when it appeared as some kind of Easter related miraculous revival, I now had the chance to see the man who has allowed many a wandering mind (possibly under the influence) to be continually blown.
Support act Jack Dutrac was coming in fast with some tropical/ deep house vibes that saw most people standing around the edges having a casual bev and a chat. As he neared closer to the end of his set he transferred into trance feels and did well to appease the crowd without overshadowing the lead act.
The new layout with the circular bar being removed and opened up roof meant there was much more space for a crowd to form directly in front of the artist. I was considering how this would now make the Rosemount that much more convenient for live gigs until the man we all came to see came on trying to get the mic or something hooked up and it seemed all too hard for a good five minutes or so.
As Pogo walked on, the crowd got noticeably thicker within seconds including a very small but solid fan base. Donning tie-dye and their own bunny heads, derived from his logo, it seemed to be a long time coming for these fans as well. He brought with him this energetic dorky-ness as he got completely into his work. His sound has this unique nostalgia to it. Maybe it’s 2000’s dance music or maybe it’s just because of what he samples from but there is something reminiscent of a past time.
Pogo’s style is the true manipulation of sound and samples to create music. His repetition of a singular message throughout each song creates cohesiveness through the loops and layered sounds. Telling us to “dance” or “get much higher”. The melody and BPM is upbeat and fun. There are no harsh or abrasive frequencies and it moves seamlessly from song to song. He brought out the track that shot him into the limelight 10 years ago now by the name Alice fairly on in the set and had the crowd emphatically cheering and clapping. Backing it up with favourites Buzzwing, his Hermione Mix and the very poignant Trumpular . At the roughly the mid way point he had what appear to be a computer meltdown which cut the visuals and resorted back to the windows screen. But alas it was all part of his plan and ended up being a hoax introducing a windows inspired track. It went to show how integral his visuals are to his music. The mash up of people and sounds creates an all-encompassing experience to alleviate the seriousness of the world and reminds us to have fun.
MIA CAMPBELL-FOULKES
