“Melbourne, you’ve got the best flat whites and the baddest bitches,” Azad “A” Right, one half of Emotional Oranges, called out to the Melbourne crowd, right after opening with one of the duo’s earliest hits, “Personal.”
There was no question which music group summoned a queue of orange-clad fans wrapped around Chinatown last week. With the crowd already warmed and ready to go, helped by a brief but smooth set by opening act Chiiild, Emotional Oranges came onstage to unbelievable energy.
The duo, made up of “A” and Vali “V” Porter, are known for being incredible performers, and their set was filled with charisma and interplay inside 170 Russell. They had undoubted chemistry, bantering in between songs and dancing with each other to keep the momentum going.
Two cuts from their 2023 album, STILL EMO, “Wrong Hands” and “Justified,” were impossible to stay still listening to, while “Motion,” a classic from their debut album (The Juice: Vol. 1), held up among the newer songs. Both “A” and “V” took turns bouncing from one side to another, urging the crowd to keep moving and sing the words back to them.
“I think I could see myself living here!” “V” cheerily exclaimed after a sensual, moody dance break. She and “A” went back and forth about the numerous times they’d come to Australia, happily detailing all the love they’ve received on every return trip, before adding, “You guys look so good tonight, turn the lights on so we can look at you.”
“Just Like You” was a particularly highlight, complete with more joking around mid-song. “V” skipped up to whisper something, presumably inappropriate, in “A”’s ear while he sang, “Stop talking so naughty,” prompting him to jolt up and say, “Back up, back up, back up!”
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Having listened to Emotional Oranges for years now – they were actually the reason my partner and I started going out – it was surreal to hear their voices and songs live. Their vocals were crystal clear and sounded straight out of the studio, and the duo were wholly authentic throughout.
After the melancholic double-punch of “Sundays” and “Better Apart,” “A” called for a moment of silence.
The lights came on behind them and the group asked for raised peace signs, and prayers and love for Gaza: “The fathers, brothers, sisters, the mothers and kids buried out in the Middle East. Keep the motherfucking peace signs up, free Gaza, free Palestine. We love you.”
To ease the crowd back into the show, “V” performed an a capella cover of “How Will I Know” by the late, great Whitney Houston.
“Damn, I wanna keep it going, I wanna keep it going!” “V” said towards the end of the show. “I’m craving tequila,” “A” answered back, drawing a laugh from the crowd. After a fake send-off, the duo eventually left, before promptly coming back to perform their biggest hit, “West Coast Love,” with a bottle of tequila in “A”’s hand. That’s how you finish a show in style.
Tour information for Emotional Oranges can be found here.
