When Bliss n Eso step onto the Twilight at Taronga stage on Friday, March 6th, the moment won’t just mark another gig in their 25-year career — it’ll feel like a homecoming, the kind only a band with deep Sydney roots could fully appreciate.
Set against sweeping views of the harbour and staged within one of the country’s most iconic zoos, the Twilight at Taronga Summer Concert Series has long been a highlight of the city’s warm-weather calendar, raising funds for Taronga Zoo Sydney’s Wildlife Hospital while bringing world-class music to one of Australia’s most picturesque venues.
Twilight at Taronga isn’t your typical gig — it’s families on picnic blankets, sunset bleeding over the skyline, and a natural amphitheatre that looks like it was designed for live music. It’s also one of the rare all-ages shows Bliss n Eso get to perform these days, which was a big reason they signed on.
“We tour all over the country, but there aren’t many shows where the whole family can come,” Bliss says. “A lot of our fans have kids now. You can spend the day at the zoo, see the animals, then come watch a BNE show under the stars — that’s special.”
Those all-ages moments hit differently now that their own families are growing up inside the music. Eso’s nine-year-old, for example, is already producing beats.
“He started freestyling at night, trying to battle me,” Eso says. “So I took him into my mate’s studio. He picked the drums, did the bassline, then goes, ‘Dad, can we record a spray can?’ So we’re there going pshh-pshh. At the end he goes, ‘Dad, can I say bitch?’ I ask how he’s saying it, and he goes, ‘I’m ZiDi, bitch.’ I’m like… alright, mate.”
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There’s pride in Eso’s voice — and a sense of awe. The same kind he once felt seeing older kids on stage for the first time.
“When we were in Year 8, these Year 9 boys played Nirvana at a school assembly,” he says. “Every girl was going crazy. I didn’t even like the genre, but I remember looking at them thinking, ‘They’re just normal guys from school… and they’re up there doing that.’ That was the moment for me.”
Which is exactly why this Taronga set matters: somewhere in that picnic crowd, someone else might be having their moment.
The show itself will be a hybrid of everything that’s made Bliss n Eso one of Australia’s most enduring live acts. They’re known for a show that’s part theatre, part therapy, part party — “and part chaos, when Macca’s involved,” Bliss laughs.
Eso smirks. “He’s not wrong.”
That controlled chaos has evolved with their catalogue, which exploded again this year after they dropped two number one albums and played more than 40 shows across the country.
The Taronga performance lands in the middle of their Dark Side era, giving them the chance to stretch out on a big Sydney stage and debut tracks they’ve never played live.
“Because this is a big outdoor show, we can really tap into The Dark Side,” Bliss says. “Fresh setlist, fresh energy. We’re only doing four major city shows for this run, so this is the Sydney moment to really go for it.”
Eso explains that choosing songs for each setlist has become a puzzle; fans now hold their phones up with giant text displaying the track they want. Sometimes they adapt on the spot.
“We’ll chop songs into medleys — Bliss’s verse from one, my hook from another — just to give people a slice of everything they love,” he says. “We try to honour as much of the crowd’s wishlist as we can.”
But their standout moments are the ones they couldn’t plan if they tried.
“One show, we’re doing ‘Feeling Fly’ and we start this little side-to-side dance,” Eso says. “Next thing, Bliss is trying to get the whole crowd to do it. Another time, I swear the venue’s septic tanks exploded. I’m on stage going, ‘Bro, what IS that?’ Bliss is up there smiling and vibing like nothing’s wrong. Turns out someone let off fart bombs in the front row. Don’t bring fart bombs to Taronga, please.”
Bliss laughs. “It gave us a good story, I guess.”
More than anything, Twilight at Taronga lands at a reflective point for the group — a milestone in a career built on risk, persistence, and tiny victories that stacked up into something massive.
Long before headlining zoos or topping the ARIA charts, Bliss n Eso (along with DJ Izm) spent hours rehearsing in front of a brick wall in place of the crowd.
“We spent days and days rehearsing for a 15-minute support slot at the Metro while people were still walking in,” Bliss says. “Maybe twenty people watching — but we fought for that moment. Then years later we sold out the Metro ourselves. Those jumps stay with you.”
Eso nods. There’s a different kind of electricity on stage now, a shared language built from decades of mic passes, shared looks and inside jokes.
“Sometimes mid-show we’ll catch each other’s eyes like, ‘Can you believe this shit, brother?’” he says. “It takes us right back to being kids. Nothing needs to be said, you just feel it.”
Not everything has changed, though. They’re still unpredictable, still playful, still deeply connected to the fans who’ve grown with them — and the ones who are just discovering them for the first time.
Bliss n Eso didn’t start doing meet-and-greets until recently. For most of their career, they skipped them. But the last two tours shifted everything.
“The insight you get is unbelievable,” Eso says. “Some fans can’t even look us in the face, they’re just shaking and crying. Others walk in with 55 questions ready to fire. You hear stories about how the music stopped them from ending their life, or walked them down the aisle, or soundtracked someone’s funeral. That’s where the real reward is.”
Bliss adds, “It doesn’t change what we write, but it strengthens it. It reinforces why we do this.”
That’s also why the band hasn’t gotten caught up in the politics of awards. Their surprise ARIA nomination for the Menulog campaign was nice, but they don’t measure success that way.
“You’d think two number one albums would get a nomination,” Bliss says with a shrug. “But we learned long ago, you don’t make music for awards. You make it for the fans. Awards are a bonus.”
Eso jumps in: “Exactly. This is all for our fans.”
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Twilight at Taronga has always been about connection — between people, nature, city, and music. It’s also one of the few concert series where every ticket supports wildlife conservation and the development of Australia’s first specialist Wildlife Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
For Bliss n Eso, that purpose matches perfectly with a career defined by community and impact.
“This show could be some kid’s first hip-hop concert,” Bliss says. “And that’ll stick with them forever.”
Eso quotes Michael Jordan: “You show up every time, even if you’re sick, because there might be one kid in the crowd seeing you for the first time.”
That sentiment ties everything together — their beginnings, their mischief, their persistence, their families, their fans, and their shared belief that moments matter.
Especially the unexpected ones.
“From trespassing teenagers at the zoo to being officially invited in to play a show… it’s wild,” Bliss says with a smile. “It’s a proper full-circle moment, we’ll make this one count for sure.”
