Live Review: Paris Texas @ Oxford Art Factory

Slacker Rap sounds like an insult, but when it's done with the verve and verbosity of acts like Paris Texas, listeners can’t help but embrace the moniker. A long way from home - fresh off “a sixteen-hour flight”, they told the Oxford Art Factory audience - the LA-based duo graced an Australian stage for their first time.

Firstly, Eora/Sydney artist FRIDAY* started the night off with a high-energy performance, rousing the early arrivers who had clearly come out to support this up-and-coming star and his band, The Social Network. 

The vibe started pumping when the band kicked off on the second track, Dying In The City. There’s clearly a pop sensibility, an ability to work a crowd with this bright and effervescent performance, and lyrics like “I think I’m dying in the city”, sparking a choral singsong from the audience.

There was a sense this was a developing outfit with slip-ups like, “This song is called punk…[dawning realisation] this song is not called punk. This song is called Spill.” Yet, the band and particularly singer, FRIDAY* were endearing in their youthful energy.

The Bloc Party influence was undeniable, with vocals reminiscent of Porches, yet it's always enjoyable to witness young, catchy indie music coming out of Sydney. Listeners who engage in FRIDAY*’s studio recordings will be pleasantly surprised to see how he translates his dreamy and intimate tracks into the live arena. 

He calls out, “I need energy”, and duly absorbs it from the crowd before the band move into their cover of Amerie’s 1 Thing, which was suitably distinct and suited the band’s straddling of the pop and indie rock genres—definitely showing some Triple J potential.

Dylan Atlantis came to the stage to add another flavour to the set on the track Concern with a boom bap drum beat and an uptempo and danceable hook.

In one of many moments of crowd interaction - which the young performer seemed to relish - he reflected: “This song’s really important to me. It’s called Beauty.” This was a decidedly slower tempo than the rest of the set, a pensive meditation on the ephemeral.

Closing track and latest release, Radiohead was introduced with the preface: “Alternative music is Black music.” While similarly slower than the rest of the set, the call and response - “I can’t forget about you, and I don’t know if you want me to.” - held the crowd and created a warm hug that captured the set.

Next, an AI generative voice bragged: “It’s only up from here.” And it’s true. The Florida-born duo Paris Texas burst onto the stage with the request: “I need one thing from you: give me all your energy.”

Opening track from 2023’s album MID AIR, tenTHIRTYseven drove us into a frenzy with deep bass and a driving beat prompting the entire crowd to scream along in the chorus: “Who wanna rock? Who wanna roll? Who wanna die?.”

A simultaneous cry of “ay ay ay” came from the crowd as the outfit launched into their next track, Split-Screen, defined by an instantly moveable beat and flow, with lovely lines from Felix: “In school, I was made fun of for the way, I talk my grammar, I’m Afrikan like Bambaattaa.”

Paris Texas were keen to show their gratitude and protect the crowd as they sweated down in the pit: “Before we get started, I just wanna say thank you… been a long time coming. We about to get into it…we just gonna keep going. Drink some water!”

NüWhip pushed things to another level with the repeated titular hook: “New whip, new whip, new whip, new whip…” A classic American Dream sort of story with a truncated lyric that had an innately bouncing beat.

Next, Everybody’s Safe Until… roused the crowd - certainly one of the favourites - which lacked the nuance of the studio version because of the reverberating bass consuming the space but made up for it in the antics of Louie Pastel, Felix and their hype man. The hook - “There’s people trying to kill me other than me” - saw the entire crowd screaming along.

Louie Pastel asked: “How does Australia feel about guns?” A unified booing. “I don’t fuck with guns either, so I write a song about it.” BULLET MAN detailed a series of gun-related deaths and violence, highlighting the absurdity of their ubiquity in lines like “Got shot, but it’s not a photo”. The duo had everyone singing along to the hook: “Shoot ‘em up…” 

The hype man raced to the front of the stage, asking, “Where are the ladies at? This is technically for you, but it’s also for everybody.” A sort of circle of death was instigated before the band launched into girls like drugs, and everyone converged on the drop.

Other tracks like Sean-Jared - an up-tempo jam - and Lana Del Rey - a slower jam with a driving snare sound and a simple metal guitar line sample - kept the crowd moving.

Really, the entire night was a rousing, spirited show driven by these performers who showed versatility and vivacity despite the jet lag and the “sore neck”. Well worth a visit to a live show if you get a chance or at least a listen if you haven’t dipped into their 2023 album, a development from their 2021 mixtape, BOY ANONYMOUS.