Even the most dedicated of “I heard him on Triple J Unearthed before anyone else” Flume fans couldn’t have seen this coming.
In the time it takes to reverse out of a driveway, Flume (aka Harley Streten) had sold out a national tour across every noteworthy capital in Australia.
These aren’t inner-suburban, boutique venues, either. The likes of the Hordern Pavilion and Festival Hall – in all their rusting allure – host thousands, not hundreds.
The masses have spoken – Flume is the newly appointed prodigal son. A promoter’s dream. An eBay scammer’s delight.
Adding to the appeal of his tour is support act, new best pal and fellow moniker devotee Chet Faker (aka Nicholas James Murphy).
Unfortunately, Faker’s performance is but a pale replica of the same artist who delivered valiantly with one leg and amidst a myriad of sound issues at Meredith ‘12 (read our review of that stunning performance here). His voice, so haunting on EP/LP Thinking In Textures, fails to lift above the filling Festival Hall crowd.
Complete with pointy beanie and a beard crafted by the swirling winds of Brunswick Street, he gives off an unmistakable – perhaps unintentional – pretentious hipster vibe.
The cheers come loud and fast for ‘I’m Into You’ and, of course, ‘No Diggity’, though he, and especially his lead guitarist, seem unwilling to accept such praise.
By the time Flume appears, there’s dozens of underagers sipping on Mount Franklin and wandering about with no particular direction in mind. Anyone in attendance with dreams of fathering or mothering a child might’ve given pause to thought.
As soon as Streten hits ‘p’ on his Apple iMac, it becomes apparent the central feature of his show is the lighting system. Fair enough, too, especially when you name your set of shows The Infinity Prism Tour.
It must be said, Festival Hall looks amazing in neon, a kind-of coked-out Myer Christmas shop window display without the nativity sets.
By the time Flume unleashes ‘More Than You Thought’ and ‘Sleepless’, the glorified roadwork signs behind Flume’s position are flashing on cue and his LED-glowing prism cube is fading pretty from pink to blue to green.
Streten’s ability to transition from track to track and interweave covers (e.g. Notorious B.I.G’s ‘Higher’) keeps the show from simply being an expanded streaming of his self-tilted debut album.
The petite Sydneysider does it well. Whenever things lag or he lingers too long on a ho-hum beat, he simply raises a hand, cocks a fist and the half-munted mosh emulates accordingly.
The lighting comes into its own during his two biggest tracks (clearly it is here where management has allocated most of the creative budget).
‘Holdin’ On’ is stunningly complemented by a neon city flyover that takes its cues from 2011 mind-scrambler Inception. ‘On Top’ is similarly outstanding, featuring a chrome hovercraft burning across a retro rollercoaster with the letters of ‘FLUME’ illuminated in the background.
The inevitable encore arrives and so too does a remix of New Navy’s ‘Zimbabwe’ as well as a reappearance from a rejuvenated Chet. ‘Left Alone’ is rolled out but with an extra oomph thanks to an increase in volume to Faker’s vocals.
Even better – and arguably the night’s highlight – is the new collaboration between Streten and Faker; a song they’ve only performed twice before. Judging from initial reaction and the track’s belting groove, it will be as widely-received as anything they’ve meshed before.
The show climaxes and throngs of ‘P’ and ‘L’ platers spill out of Festival Hall and onto Dudley Street. Though Sterten’s true musical worth will be judged on the quality of his sophomore LP, the median age of his fanbase suggests he’ll be around for many, many years yet.
Justified or otherwise, Flume is the fastest rising force in Australian music today.
