LIVE: FATBOY SLIM – Perth, 22 January, 2016

Shane | 4 February 2016 | Reply

LIVE: FATBOY SLIM – Perth, 22 January, 2016
With Pachanga Boys, James Zabiela
Red Hill Auditorium, Perth, Western Australia
Review & Photography by Maree King

The prodigal son has returned, T1000 events run by hometown born and bred Damien Gelle has bought the Electric Gardens Festival to our shores. We got to experience some of the best DJ’s on the planet on Friday 22nd January at Red Hill Auditorium run by Marcus Sarich another hometown success. He has created a fantastic venue and along with an amazing sunset to watch some of the best International Tech House and progressive house DJ’s Perth has seen for a while. We can only hope this is the start of more events like this one from T1000 events and Electric Gardens Festival. Promoter Damien Gelle has had an illustrious career promoting and playing events in the UK before returning home to Australia to start T1000 events.

Starting off the evening with the German progressive house duo the Pachanga Boys who played their proggy tech set as the crowd slowly trickled in from around 7pm .

The Pachanga Boys definitely warmed up the crowd for the effervescent James Zabiela. His boyish good looks and beaming smile made you want to have as much fun as he was having, which wasn’t hard, he pumped out an amazing 2 hour set that only got better as it went along.

Building with palpable intensity, his set just seemed to get better. Although many may have not been familiar with his music he got everyone’s attention when his dropped his tribute of David Bowie Space Oddity and then threw in some Eric Prydz and a nod to Daft Punk.

His command of the CDj’s shows a performer who has a technological knowledge and class that is impressive, this resulted in a flawless performance. Afterwards he also pumped out another epic set at Villa Nightclub After party later in the evening, proving his infectious style, love for his music and amazing energy has no bounds.

Legends can be hard to live up to, unless of course you are Fatboy Slim who after 30years making music, still manages to not only stay relevant, but also evolve with the EDM and tech house revolution. His music manages to reach across genres and generations, evident in the audience that includes fans from their 40’s to new generations of 20’s that are enjoying his music.

[Show picture list]

With influences from Marvin Gaye’s “ I heard it through the grapevine” to White Stripes “Seven nation Army” and of course the epic tribute to David Bowie there was something for everyone. His ability to constantly layer his tunes to fit the musical landscape along with a technologically smooth visual show that kept the audience enthralled, pumping wanting more and more.

Visual and light show that went along with his set shows how his show has evolved over the years, making good use of the technological changes that he has seen and incorporated into his amazing show. Fatboy still manages to not only command his audience but also feed off them as well creating a unique relationship that sets him apart from anyone else.

Fatboy Slim has lost none of his energy, excitement or joy for his music and this is what makes him so enthralling. As you don’t just watch or listen to him, he takes you on a ride of musical wonderment.
Although they had some hiccups running out of some alcohol and managing queues this certainly didn’t dampen the audience’s enthusiasm. It does show that Perth is certainly ready and waiting for more of these events to come to our shores. Bring it on .