Live Review: Peking Duk, The Meeting Tree, Benson, Tina Says

Local DJ Tina Says opened the night to an empty Metro City. Her infectious dance tunes set the pace for the night, dragging those who arrived early out of the shadows and onto the outskirts of the dancefloor.

Melbourne-based Benson seamlessly took over from Tina Says, inviting the cautious crowd to come and dance with him. It didn't take long for people to start twerking to his catchy and contagious sound, sampling artists like Daft Punk and Kanye West. Benson played not once but twice during the night, finishing with a remix of Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader, leaving the crowd perfectly warmed up in time for the headliners.

As commentary from Cathy Freeman's winning Olympic race rang out, Sydney's The Meeting Tree made their way on stage. One half of the duo, Joyride, dropped his pants and it was immediately clear this was not an ordinary DJ set, as they played remixes and original songs from their EP, R U A Cop. Preaching positive vibes over a throbbing bass line, The Meeting Tree made everyone feel welcome. The boys took the time to attack the government on their stance of a 'controversial' LGBTI program in schools, with Joyride stating "George Christensen should fucking die," a message that was lost on the crowd hungry for dance tunes. With twerking from a pantsless Joyride and hypnotising statements from Raph Dixon, The Meeting Tree put on an entertaining and different DJ set.

Peking Duk eventually came on just before midnight, a late start. A montage of iconic Australian videos played before the boys came on stage to the riff of a Rolling Stones song. The now-packed dancefloor went insane, as Peking Duk launched into a blend of pop songs and their own hits. The boys launched a furious amount of energy on the crowd and their equipment, causing parts to fall off throughout their set, threatening a power cut. Each track blended seamlessly into the next, with an incredibly wide variety of songs being sampled. It seemed there was nothing they couldn't mix, covering everything from Missy Elliot, to the Macarena, and even Darude's classic hit, Sandstorm. Special guest Dutch Duke joined the duo on stage to sing their latest single, Say My Name — a welcome change to the constant pre-recorded vocals. Benson and The Meeting Tree came back on stage several times, sculling Grey Goose vodka and dancing wildly, proving that the entire Peking Duk Australiana tour has been one big party for the boys.