Machine Gun KellyAlmost a whopping ten years after touching down on Australian soil for The 27 Tour back in 2018, the polarising American musician mgk - formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly - returns for The Lost Americana Tour with his genre-bending rap/rock-esque belters fit for Perth’s RAC Stadium.
It’s a mixed bag of punters tonight, all eager for the tatted heartthrob to lay down some hard, heavy-hitting riffs. Before that, they’ve got a back-to-back blend of angst and old school Post Malone-lite stylings of 22-year-old New Zealand-born Will Swinton and Missouri’s honestav. ]
Both fit canonically within the mgk universe with their merging of musical flavours and hard-hitting personal lyrics. Can’t Let Go by Swinton is a particular highlight that sees a marching strum and clap contrast beautifully against his vocal fry.
The crowd is warm and ready by this point in the night. Itching for the large red curtain that covers the mystery of the stage to drop, and when it does, that’s when the magic happens. To say mgk is a sucker for a spectacle is an understatement. The lavish and bold scene that stands before a packed crowd is perhaps one of the most original stage designs seen at RAC. An almost life-size decayed destruction of the Statue of Liberty lies decapitated on stage, a rolled-up joint in its mouth; this is the Lost Americana.
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A troupe of outrageously good-looking band members spread out across the stage with the man of the hour centre stage, decked in an iconic red and white jacket, baggy black pants, and razor blade earrings, standing behind a comically large cigarette mic stand, with a guitar at the ready.
A hype ready selection of rock, grunge and rap ignites the start of an ambitious 30+ song show, hitting the highs of the soaring outlaw overture and the Semi-Charmed Life sampled starman to start the evening—throwing in a cover of I Miss You by blink-182 for good measure.
As a reward for the long gap, Perth is treated to the first taste of new music in the form of a Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)- assisted track that sounds like what you'd get if you put Nirvana in a blender. This ends with the apt lighting of a blunt, talking about being a role model for children.
title track sees the first time using the infamous pink guitar on the cover of Tickets To My Downfall in Australia. Continuing the Tickets album flow drunk face is a cruisey early 2000s styled ode to be young, wild, and free. Paired with two very flexible dancers with accentuated features to drive home just how wild and free he is. “What is the concept of getting older… don’t know, don’t care,” he boasts.
“We’re in an arena, but I want it to feel like you’re in a living room with your best friend chugging beer out of a dirty boot.” mgk proclaims, pouncing into the illustrious soundtrack to the early 2000s grunge scene with a ballsy cover of the Paramore pinnacle Misery Business.
It’s a feel-good show that balances so cheekily on coy nods to an outlawed America and enough allusions to Marlboro to practically be sponsored advertising. Songs like concert for aliens are drenched in neon greens of spacesships and inflatable aliens. “I had to put my toes online to sell some tickets; I have no shame”—a throw-away line that feels like the thesis of the whole two-and-a-half-hour show, proving there’s nothing MGK won’t dabble in regardless of the outcome.
An all-ages posse of crowd-picked young girls and ladies alike fills out the stage with MGK, very literally taping his mouth shut to give them the spotlight as they all become his Bloody Valentine. It’s a lighthearted moment in an otherwise audacious performance that feels very touching as he dedicates the song to every lass and lady in the audience tonight
The Halsey collab forget me too with an audio Halsey is a punchy, high-speed grunge punch with an explosive chorus made even more powerful by an array of flames. The crowd buzzed so thoroughly at this point that the blonde heartthrob whips out his phone for a quick video; he’s so mesmerised by the wailing, flailing, and joy before him.
Swimming through the crowd and a pool of beer, the rockstar makes his way to a small B stage to perform an intimate acoustic set of Glass House and time of my life received with torches held high and wet eyes. In quick contrast, the heavy metal-lite Till I Die carries him back to the main stage, flowing into dark, gritty guitar solo that sees an orchestrated mosh take place amongst the roars and flames
Looking at a 30-song setlist would make anyone feel nauseated, and yet somehow every song feels fresh, exciting and the perfect length. The hits are given space to breathe. Tender moments feel lived in, and unfamiliar songs are given just as much praise and reception as any other.
There’s not a moment that feels out of place. mgk manages to portray himself as both a superstar and a genuine down-to-earth friend. There’s a likability and softness to the rough outlaw exterior that shines through in his live performances. There may be less of a stage setup in the Australian shows, but there’s enough energy going around to fill any size stage.
The bad boy strips down to just his jeans, revealing there’s almost not a single area on his body that hasn’t been inked in black. The sexually driven Avery Faith is ramped up to steamy with the dancer returning bathed in a suggestive pink glow and the singer grinding on his own microphone. Is this family-friendly?
Next up, “This song is about cocaine.” It’s the growing thumper of Jawbreaker. A soft-rock/pop anthem that feels like a standout in an exceptionally picked setlist. An ode to daughters Casie and Saga Blade, with heartwarming family montages against the tearjerker play this when I’m gone, shows more of that slow rock ballad blend. mgk feat. Jelly Roll sampling Take Me Home, Country Roads on Lonely Road dips those in demand toes into country waters in an… interesting way. You really can’t predict what is going to happen next.
If you thought the dial couldn’t go up any higher, controversies of an mgk vampire-blood-sucking era on a livestream signifies an extreme level of octane energy on the grunge-heavy papercuts now featuring a razor blade guitar that shoots fireworks. He’s thought of everything, and he’s giving it to the crowd in lashings. It’s a career-defining moment of a tour.
cliche sweeps the crowd onto their feet and into a tropical house-infused rock-pop cocktail of twisting, bobbing and jiving. A wonderful burst of flavour and pop towards the end of the show that rolls effortlessly into the fist bumping of vampire diaries.
The Lost Americana Tour, named after the album of the same name, offers a variety of bangers and ballads to fill the long-awaited void between the American native’s previous visit down under. It highlights just how succinct and defined his genre-bending style has merged into a genre of his very own, where he feels most comfortable. It’s a moment that feels both grand and intimate and never overstays its welcome.
