Another year, another deadly good time for gigs and live music around Oz. From local favourites, to international legends, we were treated very well in 2017. It’s pretty damn impossible to narrow all of the live gigs from this year to the top five, but we’ve thrown together our favourites from 2017 that got us going.
#1 Gang Of Youths (Australia Tour)
Fresh of their Triple J listener’s Album Of The Year win, the Sydney lads’ national tour cemented their spot as Aussie performing weapons. With a series of sold out mid-tier venue gigs across the country, you feel it’s only a matter of time till the lads are performing in stadium-esque venues. With their pure energy on show for one and all, the group’s swagger and emotional connection with fans is second to none. Led by the charisma and modern Michael Hutchence vigour of David Le’aupepe, you just know even bigger things await these lads.
#2 Odesza (Australia Tour)
The Chicago duo are certainly taking a liking to Aussie shores, with their straight up stunning live show marking another huge year. After touring iconic locations globally like the Red Rock Amphitheatre, the synth-pop two-piece absolutely smashed their Aussie tour, with multiple cities getting two shows. Incorporating an array of live instruments including drums and trumpets, their sets were fabulously welcome attacks on the senses. Their visuals are as always on point, and they’ll be coming back down to our shores for Laneway Festival in 2018.
#3 Meg Mac (Australia Tour)
What. A. Talent. From her effortless fashion and swagger, to the heavenly chords and vocals, in 2017 Meg Mac really bookmarked herself as one of Australia’s finest musicians. Oozing class, the soulful Victorian was brilliant across her national tour and Splendour In The Grass performances. What amazes the most about Meg is her ability to hypnotise an audience without much real fuss. She quite literally lets her voice do the talking, and her ability to control it is to die for. She’s almost one of those artists where you just want to sit/stand at her gig with a glass of vino and belt out classic after classic with mass emotion attached. Absolutely fab.
#4 Cut Copy (Splendour In The Grass)
Thanks so much everyone for making Splendour such an awesome homecoming for us! 🙏🏻✨🙌🏻 #splendourinthegrass #sitg2017 #mixup . . . . . 📸 @druanjames
It’s throwback city here, with our fourth choice being Aussie dance icons Cut Copy and their deadset orgasmic Splendour In The Grass 2017 set. We featured them as one of our faves from this year’s Splendour performances, and it makes our top five purely on the show these lads are still able to put on despite being in the biz for so long. With their new album a slight stray away from the more ‘classic’ Cut Copy sound, this gig was the perfect mix of old bangers and new vibes. This particular moment from Lights And Music was an absolute treat.
#5 Baker Boy (Live At The Steps)
Can you feel the energy?! Seriously, get rid of your previous definitions of hype and just assign the word to Baker Boy. You might have only heard a bit about him, but he’s Australia’s first indigenous rapper who seamlessly flows between native tongue and English. He did a cheeky set at Triple J Unearthed’s Live At The Steps, and boy if you must watch one more performance this year it’s the above one. Marryuna is a straight choon, from the high tempo drums, funky pre-chorus, to the dancing – it has it all. The Milingimbi local from North East Arnhem Land is the future of rap, and his fresh take is sure to have people raving in 2018.
Image Source: Odesza Facebook