Empire of the Sun, Ask That God Tour – Red Hill Auditorium, Perth (2.11.24)
Fittingly, Empire of the Sun ended their Oz tour where it all started: Perth, the place where ‘Walking on a Dream’ was written. Their final gig was in the hills high above Perth, on a warm spring night. The very same hills where Chris Steele grew up, and he read a sweet poem that he’d written earlier that night about how much the place means to him. He owes a lot to Perth, he said, so it’s a good thing that he put on an unforgettable show.
The night started slowly, with people milling into the open air auditorium, having beers, eating pizza, and enjoying the view of the city skyline. If you came at six, when the doors opened, you could watch the sunset over the city– a glorious and fitting sight for the gig, and one that showed off the unique appeal of the out-of-the-way venue. Paired with the opener, the Tazmanian electro dance duo Sumner, the stage was perfectly set for The Empire of the Sun.
Steele is a showman as much as anything, and the band cut the lights before bursting on stage with two celestially-costumed dancers and Steele draped in the flowing cloak and ostentatious red headdress of a true space emperor. Pair that with the fog machines, neon beams, and warping AI visuals of the jumbotrons, and the night was truly an interstellar trip.
Throughout the set, Steel and the dancers flipped costumes between hummingbirds, geishas, Jodorowsky-style sorcerers, and a raggedy mop of an alien called “Super Chai” (star of their ‘Changes’ music video). It was a mesmerizing performance both aurally and visually. One of the best moments was during one of their smaller songs, ‘Television”, where they sang alongside lime green geishas and pale aliens.
Like their other albums Ask That God, is a mix of bouncing hits and quieter tracks, so the band wisely built the set from the hits across their discography– ‘Change’ and ‘Music on the Radio’ being the stars of the new album. One surprise was a crunchy, prog-rock style track I don’t know and haven’t found in their discography.
The audience was taken aback by it as much as I was, but it was perfect for leading into the grand finale– and what a finale! “Walking on a Dream” was the highlight of the night, so they left the stage on a high, then they filled the stage with fog and came back on for the real highlight, ‘Alive’. When it came on, the cheers and screams and singing must have echoed through the hills because it was exactly what everyone was waiting for.
About the Author
Branden Zavaleta Based in Perth, Branden writes on the arts for a handful of Australian outlets. He's also a street & creative portrait photographer, who's work can be found @brandenzp on Instagram.
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