Peking DukPeking Duk played their biggest-ever headline show in Adelaide at a sold-out HQ to raucous and enraptured fanbase. With diverse, but flawless opening acts and a great visual production, the show had everything and more, representing the status the Canberra duo hold in Australian music today.
The opening act, Sydney rapper Kwame, has a contemporary, uptempo style that is very reminiscent of a lot of recent American hip-hop stars, like A$AP Ferg. This hard, intense style involves frenetic lines over dark, drone-y, bass-heavy backing. His heavier, slightly husky vocals give Kwame a certain unique presence. Opening with Kwame was great way to kick the show off with a hard energy, rather than easing punters into it.
The highly passionate and emotive Samsaruh lit up the stage in her yellow Kill Bill-esque get-up with her animated movements and command of the stage. Her soaring vocals were all class and the backing and production from her guitarist/multi-instrumentalist was fantastic. There was a cool, indie-rock element to the compositions, which gave the songs a bit of an edge over a lot of the blander electronic pop that has come out in recent months. With her magnetic presence and great arrangements, this is one act we have high hopes for.
After a lengthy delay, Peking Duk, one of Australia's premier electronic acts, finally took to the stage. The live drummer was a great addition, as were the fantastic live singers. The deafening screams from the crowd at the start of Wasted merged with the huge live sound; Peking Duk definitely raised the volume after the supports. The act's confidence seems to grow with every show and some of their choreography was cute.
In addition to their own songs, it was great to see the duo take a few moments to showcase their DJing chops with a range of crowd-pleasers midway through the set. Even so, it was their own songs that received the best reactions. Fire and Reprisal were solid, but Say My Name, Let You Down and Fake Magic were easily the highlights of the night, particularly the latter song's funky bassline. The amount of roaring crowd singalongs throughout the night was testament to how popular this act has become and also the quality of their songwriting.
With an intro video, confetti, smoke and giant sparklers, the visual elements of this show took the entertainment factor to another level.
Peking Duk could just be one of the defining electronic acts of this era.
