Live Review: Peking Duk, Allday, SAFIA, FLAMINGO, Skies

Kicking off the summer’s evening at Adelaide University’s Open Night were local synth-pop duo Skies.

 

Opening to a humble crowd dominated by high school students anticipating an authentic taste of real “uni life”, the band’s floating electronic sound swept over listeners effortlessly. Skies’ first single, Flames, incorporated vivid dreamscapes and gentle harmonies, making for an emotive first release that suggests the band has plenty more to explore. 

 

Following Skies were FLAMINGO, equally mesmerising but utilising a stronger dance style.  This teased the crowd enough to encourage some serious swaying a head bopping from those at the barrier. FLAMINGO’s equally tender yet building vocals and percussion made for a solid set of tunes from their debut EP, Heavy Steps. Before wrapping up with a crowd favourite, Heart, My, the band threw in a cheeky cover of The Drum’s track Money, almost unrecognisable having been transformed with layers of lush synth — an interesting and successful contrast to the original. 

 

With bounding stage presence, SAFIA took the stage next, bringing a contagious energy that immediately excited the crowd. Although the sound production didn’t quite give credit to the rich vocals coming out of Kacee Heidt hunching over the keyboard, his performance was huge. The three-piece from Canberra collectively produced some syrupy, soulful pop tunes; driven by dance beats and rolling lyrics. You Are The One had the crowd pulsing as one, only to lose it completely when Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues finally satisfied fans.

 

Tom Gaynor, better known as his stage name Allday, followed next. Mixing up the theme of the night with some well-welcomed hip hop, Allday’s raw flow lifted up fans with favourites So Good (Prod. By C1) and You Always Know The DJ. Sound issues were still affecting the quality and balance of feedback, resulting in some inconsistencies with vocals, which unfortunately are the foundation of Allday’s performance. Despite this, the playful vibe of the set pursued and adequately amped up fans for the final act of the night.

 

With the sun now setting, the stage felt bigger and more impressive with an array of lights and smoke machines in full force for the highly anticipated closing act, Peking Duk. This set was undeniably explosive from start to finish. The recent ARIA award-winning duo brought shameless, high-energy stage presence that soaked the crowd and had everyone moving as one sweaty unit. Putting quirky twists and drops on classic dance tracks like Jump Around by House of Pain and Turn Down For What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon, as well as their originals High and Feels Like, there was little more the pair could do to excite the crowd further. Except a sandstorm. Somehow, getting everyone to simultaneously crouch down to their knees and then explode into dance when the beat dropped in Sandstorm by Darude was an absolute highlight; a stunt that distinguished their sets during nation-wide tours. From drinking Jägermeister on stage to getting everyone to hold the person next to them, Peking Duk bring the festival vibes wherever they go, even to the maths lawns of a university. Claiming this was their best show to date, both performers and fans were left a little in shock as to how ridiculous the last 45 minutes has gone down. Peking Duk are an absolute must to experience live.