Live Review: BROCKHAMPTON

"How y'all feelin tonight?" asks the silhouette of BROCKHAMPTON leader, Kevin Abstract, to the sold out Forum crowd. The kids of the audience answer back with rowdy roars of anticipation, closely followed by a wave of girlish screams as the stage lights up to reveal the rest of Abstract's hip-hop posse. With some Bill Gates-at-the-Windows 95-launch inspired dance moves, there's no doubt that these American boys are bringing a very original brand of creative energy to tonight's performance.

Several inspirational phrases flash onto the projector screen behind them: "Don't just sit there...", "Create", "You have a shelf life" etc. Everybody knows the advice that's been sold since the dawn of self-help books, but considering the fact that Brockhampton have just released four full-length, critically acclaimed albums (the Saturation trilogy and Iridescence) in the space of about a year, maybe they know a little more about discipline than the rest of us.   

With his vocals, unfortunately, drenched in auto-tune, Abstract leads the pack through a number of hits from Saturation II and III while endlessly urging the crowd to open a mosh pit. Sorry Abstract, but no matter how hard the beats to these songs may hit and regardless of how passionately you and the boys can rap, you can't just claim boy-band status and also demand mosh pits. It's either one or the other! But non-existent moshing aside, Brockhampton really do know how to shove all of their being into the performance of a verse. Particular attention should be given to Russell Boring's clipped and frustrated wailings which sound like an adolescent Eminem screaming at his mother for a Pepsi. In a good way, obviously.

Along with several "deep" phrases, the visual projections that play behind the members of the group are so involving that they often become a harmful distraction. No doubt created by the behind-the-scenes visual artists of Brockhampton, these heat-vision cinematics include footage of New York from the '90s, combat from the Gulf War, scenes from cyberpunk films like Akira and Blade Runner, the psychedelic journey from 2001: A Space Odyssey and a few casual moments of slow motion cunnilingus. It's all very stimulating and attention-grabbing. At one point towards the end of the evening, this reviewer found that he'd almost tuned Brockhampton out completely to become deep in thought about whether Blade Runner 2049 was better than the original. To translate this into Australian teacher-speak; "You're at about a nine right now, and I need you at about a two"

After re-emerging onto the stage for a three-song encore consisting of hits like 1999 Wildfire, Gold and the menacing Boogie, Abstract proudly announces Brockhampton as "the greatest boy band since One Direction." It's a strange crown to claim, especially given the hostility of much of their music, but he's not wrong. The live Brockhampton experience is often a bit too much to truly focus and enjoy, but hey, being overwhelmed sure beats being underwhelmed.