Live Review: Listen Out @ Catani Gardens, VIC

After more than two years, Listen Out finally welcomes us back with it’s first stop in Melbourne. Despite the gloomy weather, it's clear punters are keen on being back at a music festival and dancing together again in real life. For those who haven’t prepared for the weather, a five-dollar poncho from the merch stand is an essential purchase to start off the day before heading to one of the three stages spread out across the gardens.

The great thing about this festival is that there’s a lot of music variety and something to suit any taste. The main stage (Atari) is a line-up of mostly R'n'B/hip-hop, the 909 stage is packed with electronic acts and Prophet is a diverse mix including up-and-coming artists. There’s been a lot of changes to the original line up but there’s still a good list of local and exclusive international acts for everyone to get excited about.

Kito gets the party started early on the 909 stage with a string of bangers to get people moving to the beat and says she’s proud to play her new single that’s just been released today called Sad Girl Music, featuring Banks. Meanwhile over at Atari, Kiwi-based rapper Jess B serves up her new generation of afro-inspired hip-hop blending infectious trap, dance and R&B. Her latest track Just Fake It is a light-hearted club banger that wins the audience over immediately.

Stace Cadet & KLP team up for a huge set with some massive party anthems guaranteed to get the crowd going. “I want all the happy people to dance for us,” shouts KLP as they drop their collab Happy People and share a new song together called Big Emotion featuring KLP on live vocals. Their energy is incredible and lifts us up with their feel-good anthems. Jimi The Kween joins them for a dance to KLP’s Energy and even gives us a few cheeky flashes to stir things up. Stace Cadet shares his new single Body Overload that hits hard with explosive beats to send us into overdrive.

“If you don’t give a f**k about the rain, make some noise,” shouts UK producer James Hype. The rain comes down and the audience couldn’t care less and continues to party. It’s James Hype’s first time playing a show in Melbourne, so he’s excited to be pumping tunes for us. Using four decks at one single time to DJ, he shows off his masterful skills as he gives us a non-stop set full dancefloor fillers remixed to perfection. He’s got plenty of energetic tricks up his sleeve and dance moves to hype up the crowd, along with his own tracks including his most popular song Ferrari.

Louis The Child hits the 909 stage covered in a splatter of neon colour as if they’ve just been playing paintball. It’s their first time in the country and they hit us with a surge of adrenaline in the late afternoon, instantly putting us in a good mood with their upbeat psychedelic electro-pop tracks. The duo power through a fast-paced set of back-to-back hits that seamlessly transition from one into the next. Their euphoric dance anthems are packed with a positive energy that make us feel alive in the moment surrounded by our mates and music lovers alike, all here for a good time. 

24kGoldn has his TikTok crowd of fans in full swing as he brings his charismatic energy to the main stage. The American rapper, who skyrocketed to success during the pandemic with his biggest viral hit Mood featuring Iann Dior, confesses that just four years ago he had just moved into his college dorm but dropped out to pursue his music career. He builds the crowd up and keeps the momentum going right through to the very end and holds a strong stage presence by engaging with his fans and moving around the stage. He sings about relatable themes including imperfections and expectations as a young person in today’s fast-paced world and tries to inspire the audience to do anything they dream about, just like he has.

Swedish pop star Tove Lo dominates the main stage in a pair of assless chaps and a sparkling bikini top. She’s ready to party and delivers a set that’s full of confidence and swagger. The speaker volume is noticeably low to the left of stage so the crowd can be heard almost singing over the top of her for her hits including Talking Body and Habits (Stay High). Bold and unafraid, Tove Lo pushes body positivity and female-empowerment through her performance to influence others to simply not give a fuck about what anyone else thinks. She’s gearing up for a new album release so shares a couple of new songs to build excitement with a disco infused synth sound that hooks us in with infectious choruses.

Australia’s favourite indie-electro band The Jungle Giants are always a crowd pleaser and a great addition to the Listen Out line up to offer something different. They really know how to engage the crowd by involving them in their performance through encouraged singalongs and throwing out some disposable cameras to the audience in the hopes that they’ll send them back. The band's energy is infectious and gets everyone jumping around to their hits, mostly from their latest album Love Signs. Their electrifying set is filled with colourful visuals and keeps us grooving along to the very end. 

Following a recent announcement from Howard Lawrence that he couldn’t join his brother Guy on the Listen Out tour, fans may have been worried they weren’t going to get the full Disclosure experience, but Guy proves us wrong by absolutely smashing all expectations and delivering one hell of set to ensure the festival ends with a bang. The 909 stage engulfs in smoke and turns into a giant rave under a show of laser lights to the soundtrack of just about every Disclosure hit that’s perfectly curated for us to dance the night away at a feverish pace. It’s the first set of their tour so they throw in their most popular track Latch for a huge finale, so we’re guaranteed to leave on the ultimate high in a state of complete euphoria.