Mysterious, successful, young and madly talented are just some of the superlatives that are justifiably being thrown around about Australia’s most buzzed DJ right now: Alison Wonderland.
Playing Melbourne’s The Corner Hotel for the second night in a row, to a packed house for a Thursday; Wonderland proved just why she’s the local act on everyone’s lips. Joined for the evening by Can’t Say DJs, Willow Beats and Tomderson as well as L D R U who took over the decks after her set finished.
The crowd was energetic even early on and people were dancing, laughing and getting into the groove. If you haven’t been to a DJ gig at the Corner it really is a wholly different experience than most others the venue usually hosts.
Lead-up support act Tomderson deserves a mention; despite being set up side of stage near the merch desk like all supports were, he managed to get the largely young audience up and on their feet early on in his set and keep the impressive energy going, leaving everyone at fever pitch ready for the main act.
As Alison sauntered on stage, large bottle of what appeared to be vodka in hand, the crowd went bezerk before she could even lay down the first beat. This reaction occurred virtually every time Wonderland switched between songs.
Every time the venue recognised a tune it was met with cheers, and given many jams were from the ‘80s and ‘90s, the amount that was known by the young crowd was commendable.
Wonderland’s set, stage set up, appearance, style, performance and pretty much everything about her has this nonchalant attitude that makes her simply ooze cool.
Despite displaying DJ ability most could only dream of, she carries it all out with seeming ease, looking like she could do it in her sleep or when drunk. The latter she probably was given how frequently she was sipping on that bottle of vodka.
Her set was largely filled with a hip-hop’s who’s who, delving heavily into the ‘90s and early noughties. While not really a mash-up DJ, the way she flicks between cuts and puts together songs that have no right going together you feel like you’re at a mash-up gig.
Set highlights included an incredible mix of ‘New Slaves’ from Kanye West’s latest album that brought the crowd into a frenzy. The young crowd going crazy on a tune about 21st century consumerism despite the irony of the song largely having Gen Y in its cross hairs.
Ten-year-old ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ was met with a similar reaction, while the best reception of the evening was reserved for Ludacris’ ‘Move Bitch’ prompting a massive sing-along. Quite impressive given how often Wonderland picked up the track from under the venue and took it somewhere completely unexpected, however the crowd managed to adapt and sing along the entire time
Wonderland also sampled the likes of M.I.A., Daft Punk, Major Lazer, Massive Attack, Naughty By Nature and The Chemical Brothers among many other choice cuts.
Alison Wonderland took the school-night crowd on a musical journey so enjoyable it was hard to believe it was a Thursday. Wonderland proved that she thoroughly deserves all the success and praise she’s currently on the end of by providing an adoring crowd with an exceptional evening full of tunes spun together with unrivalled skill.
