Live Review: Listen Out

If punters are taking selfies holding up their lanyards they should be ejected from VIP.

On the 909 Stage, we soon learn Shlomo is aptly named – perfect listening for ketamine users. We’re not alone in our thinking either, since a neighbour in the crowd yells, “Jack it up!” Shlomo’s technique of working CD scratching into his set at regular intervals is way helpful in case it happens accidentally. Primarily music for monging not dancing.

The scissor lift behind 909 Stage’s mixing desk provides the perfect vantage point and shouldn’t be reserved solely for VIPs. Newsflash, ladies: hair extensions DO NOT look real, and neither do false eyelashes or spray tans. They really do need to set up a Snog Marry Avoid? recruitment tent at these festivals.

Fashion report: exposed bras under strappy, shorty playsuits for the females with ample side-boob a preference. In one tragic case, there’s NO bra and ample side-boob, which leads to self-conscious, hunchy posture – not sexy. And where do we even start with said no bra, side-boob offender partaking of a ping pong game later on?

Over on Atari Stage, Bondax work hard to prove to everyone they are so much more than a musical duo with a name that calls to mind extra adhesive Tampax. One vocalist obviously has the complete Michael Jackson catalogue boxset, collector’s edition. That’s the way! There’s a dude on shoulders waving a broken arm in the air like he just don’t care (for reals)! And later on, a panda on shoulders garners much attention. On 909 Stage, Ta-Ku drops James Blake’s Retrograde – the Perth beatsmith is quite charismatic with his moves!

Runner-up clash of the day – to triple j’s Melbourne Unearthed winner Deja (who draw the short straw competing with Flume in the headlining slot tonight even though they were initially scheduled to open the festival) – goes to Snakehips, who are on the adjacent stage to Chet Faker. Faker (real name: Nick Murphy) opens with his exquisite song I’m Into You (aka “doo-DOO-doo-doo-doo/doo-DOO-doo-doo-doo/DOO-doo” and has lured what appears to be the entire festival across to Atari Stage. His beats are minimal, which is perfect for pre-sunset jiving.

Back at 909 Stage, Schoolboy Q’s DJ knows where it’s at, even though he devotes almost half the rapper’s allotted time to geeing-up. Did Q really just spit “pussy lips”? Indeed, opening his song Fuck LA. He has great energy and this hip hop injection is just what we need.

Fashion report for the fellas: bucket hats and baseball shirts if you can pull it off, or either one for the less brave. Although variety is limited, the food ingested at Listen Out is absolutely delicious: yum cha to rival any Shark Finn Inn delights.

ZHU’s Faded was always gonna be a highlight of this day, but then the electronic artist’s Moves Like Ms Jackson (a mash-up of three of OutKast’s best: The Way You Move, Ms Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean) transports those of us who were lucky enough to attend Splendour 2014 straight back there, complete with imbecilic grins on dials.

Four Tet beckons us over to 909 Stage and his set is an expertly tantalising slow build that sees bar queues bopping like The Full Monty characters in their social security queue when Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff comes on. Kieran Hebden (that’s what Four Tet’s parents call him) doesn’t leave a knob untweaked up there and certainly leaves you with no doubt he’s earning his keep rather than checking emails.

And Flume? The handsome youthful producer holds it down over on Atari Stage. Amazingly enough, his best-received moment is also a remix of someone else’s song: Lorde’s Tennis Court – “And talk it up like yeah/(YEAH)”. What a proud moment it is dancing to a local headliner closing out a festival with a line-up as strong as the one we experience today.

At the end of the day, Listen Out is all about being seen. The stages are so close together that there’s no major missions if you wanna change up what you’re watching mid-set, but you’ve gotta keep pushing through to avoid sound bleed. Summer festival season is officially launched and boutique festival Listen Out proves a worthy launchpad.