Live Review: Listen Out

This weekend kicked off Listen Out’s second year on the summer festival circuit and saw a modest handful of international and local talent converging on Sydney to get the proceedings underway.

The sun was shining, the sky was clear and the grass was unquestionably greener at Centennial Park as punters rolled up to catch the likes of Flume, ScHoolboy Q, Chet Faker and Zhu on their first leg of the national tour. Festival-goers relished the unexpected sun and frolicked appropriately within the parklands like the bucket hat-wearing, hippie-clad lovers that Sydney kids become when a festival comes to town.

Although it wasn’t a sell-out, there were the usual suspects hanging around the venue, hatching cunning plans to evade the tight security and police officers standing at five-metre intervals along the perimeter fence and sneak into the goodness that was just out of their reach. But buy a ticket next time y’all, don’t be that guy that sends a security guard to hospital, which is what happened when a desperate group decided that using force to stampede their way through the fence and into the festival could be a good idea. This was absolutely proved wrong, but it’s doubtful even the gentle voice of Chet Faker could soothe the pain of internal bleeding.

Stampedes aside, there’s just something about music festivals that brings out the love in people and Listen Out was no exception to the rule. No one’s going to judge you if the only name you know on the line-up is Flume and you just wanted an excuse to wear your new crop top with the tassels – we’re all friends.

Flume. Pic by Rohan Anderson.

UK-based hip hop act Young Fathers played their first Australian show to a crowd that had good reason to show up rather early and make the most of what the festival had to offer. Young Fathers were backed up by American producer Shlohmo, who delivered his signature slow, pulsing beats with seemingly effortless style.

The crowd shuffled, swayed and socialised to the tune of Shlohmo’s relaxed vibe under the afternoon sun, as more and more punters drifted over from the bar to the 909 stage to catch up with Perth local Ta-Ku. Things livened up considerably once Ta-Ku hit the stage and brought a new energy to the hazy mass with tracks off his EP, Songs To Break Up To.

Chet Faker treated the crowd to new material from his latest album, Built On Glass, as the sun set over the festival; the world briefly turned into an Instagram filter and everything was perfect. He had the crowd chanting his renowned cover of No Diggity and soaking up every word of the latest single Talk Is Cheap as he performed an array of old and new songs during a set that was all over far too quickly.

ScHoolboy Q gave us the “Oxymoron Experience,” playing tracks off his latest album, Oxymoron, to the aggressive, hot and sweaty mosh that formed in front of him. His hard and fast rap performance was a standout and brought a new element of ‘dance’ to the festival that set him apart from the dominant electronic vibe of the line-up.

Electronic wonder boy Flume closed the show in enormous, epileptic fit-inducing style. The young gun played to a receptive home audience, revisiting old favourites like Holdin On, which will never actually get old, as well as previewing some fresher material he’s been working on. He showcased his most recent pièce de résistance, a massive remix of Lorde’s Tennis Court, for the first time on Australian shores to end the day with a bang.

Listen Out has now set the standard for the upcoming Australian festival season. In its second year, the event kept us properly entertained for the afternoon, though it was nothing too overwhelming. This festival will be one to watch when we do it all again next year.