LIVE: Aurora – Fremantle Prison, 6 Feb 2025

LIVE: Aurora – Fremantle Prison, 6 Feb 2025
With Hannah Brewer, Odd Luke – Fremantle Prison, Western Australia
Reviewed by Anthony Jackson
Photography by Linda Dunjey

Aurora Aksnes, known simply to the world as Aurora, is currently on her fifth world tour in support of her 2024 album, What Happened To The Heart?. On Thursday, Aurora descended from the starry heavens to deliver Fremantle an otherworldly experience of ethereal joy in the form of her angelic voice and enchanting spirit.

Perth was the first stop on the Australasian leg of the What Happened To The Earth? world tour. Dubbed ‘Part 4’, the tour has already covered half the globe touching through Europe, North America, Latin America and parts of Asia.

Considered a national treasure in her homeland of Norway, the singer, songwriter and record producer is one of their biggest selling artists. Her music is broadly described as “ethereal” but more specifically centres on her operatic soprano vocals over elements of electro-pop blended with Nordic-folk.

Also known for her voice as an activist, Aurora is an advocate for human, racial, neuro-divergent and LQBTQI+ rights. Her playful and quirky personality has made her a hit on social media, with the ability to speak her mind without a filter is nothing short of hilarious. Her popularity spiked in In Oz when she appeared on a triple J interview in 2019, when asked “What other things are you doing?” she answered, “Well, I like to paint, read books and cook and masturbate.”

With a beautiful clear night, the grounds of the Fremantle Prison started fill with the hugely diverse crowd of Aurora fans, a mix spanning all ages and backgrounds. Many eager punters dressing expressively to celebrate the music of Aurora.

Sydney singer/songwriter Hannah Brewer opened the evening with her gorgeous voice and encompassing presence. With such a full sound from a solo performer she delighted the crowd with her most well-known songs, Rumspringa and The Pirate Song.

Scottish bred Odd Luke provided nice groove to sway to as the sun set and the half moon started to glow. It took a few tracks for Luke and the band to find their groove, but once they did, the crowd was enticed as people moved to the front in anticipation for what was to come.

Lit only by the sparkle of the stars and moon, Aurora appeared out of the darkness, barefoot and elflike opening with Churchyard. She addressed the crowd with her spritely energy before being distracted by beetles running over the stage as she frantically and humorously tried to save them by moving them to safety.

Infections Of A Different Kind was stunning as she performed face to face with long-time guitarist Fredrik Svabø, with just plucked guitar and her extraordinary vocals. A beautiful moment interrupted when she announced, “I always forget these lyrics” in another hilariously human Aurora moment.

One of her biggest songs, The River, was delivered acapella with Aurora taking centre stage, surrounded by the other vocalists. Stripping the powerful song back provided an unmistakably beautiful rendition, but by doing so took away the energy and uplifting movement of the original.

The ukelele driven A Soul With No King brought the energy back with its rhythmic tribal-folk beat and pulsing electric guitars, the first song to be performed off her 2024 album What Happened to The Heart?.

“This song is about skin” she announced before going into her big number Some Type Of Skin. Fredrik got his chance to take a guitar solo after as Aurora danced around both gracefully and erratically, like a ballerina at a pagan ritual.

Aurora’s vocal talent is undeniable. She sung so naturally and with pitch precision, reaching unearthly heights with ease. Runaway was a hit with the crowd as she invited everyone to join in the chorus as she pointed her microphone to the audience.

She took a moment to tend to the beetle only to find it stuck in the tape of the setlist. Her funny nature and off-the-cuff banter with the crowd was as entertaining as her music. Her caring and playful attitude give a sense of charm that makes her so human for someone that appears to be so angelic and mystical.

Dreams was something really special, performed with just Aurora and Fredrik again on the stage under the moon and the stars, vocally soaring and just perfect. “This is my only love song because I think that love songs are really boring”, she joked before the lovely Exist for love, which borrows from Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne with the lyrics, “We are leaning out for love, and we will lean for love forever”.

“This song is for the indigenous people of the world” introduced the environmentally focussed The Seed. As Fremantle’s oceanic wind blew the stage smoke into what looked like a whirlwind of blue around Aurora, it looked as if she was dancing in a cyclone as she belted out the lyrics, “You cannot eat money, When the last tree has fallen and the rivers are poisoned, You cannot eat money!”

She thanked everyone before announcing the last song, Giving In To The Love. No one was ready for it to be over as they called for one more song. Aurora came back with the electro-bopping Cure For Me. “There is no cure for being human” she declared as she danced around with the symbolic rainbow flag.

Addressing the audience for the last time Aurora gave a monologue about depression and claimed that she loved everyone before performing Invisible wounds by herself on piano and invited everyone to sing along in the choral crescendo.

After the final bows, Aurora didn’t want leave, pulling faces and expressing metal hand gestures to the crowd as she gradually moved offstage.

Aurora is a natural performer, with a voice and personality that is born from love, peace and acceptance. She exists in a space of surreal fantasy and magic whilst simultaneously being so human and so unapologetically real. it is this perfect duality that makes her so incredible to be entertained by that you want to live forever in the world of Aurora.

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries