Review: Kaytranada + Channel Tres played John Cain Arena, Melbourne for AO Live on Friday, January 24th
Summer in Melbourne, when timed right, can offer up the best of energies for those locals and visitors looking to soak up sun, sights and the nightlife of one of Australia’s cities renowned for culture and entertainment.
The fusion of sport and music then, in this environment, feels natural; here, with the Australian Open’s live music calendar for 2024.
Across three nights, punters could purchase tickets to the programmed shows at John Cain Arena, while also being given access to roam Melbourne Park, taking in tennis matches before and after showtime. This year, crowds welcomed a stacked lineup of international visitors including Benson Boone on Thursday (January 23rd), while preparing for a Saturday double-bill of Kesha and Armand Van Helden.
On Friday night (January 24th) though, the vibes were stunning inside the arena for Compton rapper-producer Channel Tres, and the main attraction – award winning Haitian-Canadian multi-threat, Kaytranada.
A brief scroll through TikTok is enough to demonstrate how popular Kaytranada’s shows have become, especially with this particular tour in support of his third solo album, the Grammy-nominated Timeless. From his meticulously orchestrated and beautifully delivered visuals, to the genuine joy that radiates from him as he dances to his own music, there’s a lot to be immersed in with this show – a feat in itself for what is, essentially, a lone DJ in a packed arena.
Winding it back to Channel Tres, who has been touring with Kaytranada on this bout, and whose responsibility it was to set the vibe in the lead up.
First breaking onto radars in 2018 with his impressive self-titled EP, Channel Tres has become a name synonymous with slick production, attitude-laden bars and a brash charisma on record that has gathered a strong fanbase with fans and peers alike.
His catalogue boasts strong collabs with a diverse range of artists from Flight Facilities (“Lights Up”), Jungle (“I’ve Been In Love”), Tinashe (“HMU For A Good Time”) and Tyler, The Creator (“Fuego”). During this show, Channel Tres rolled out a set that proved his talents as a musician and producer, as well as a curator of energy in the room.
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Realising early on that the Melbourne audience needed to be warmed up more than first anticipated, dropping key tracks in the front half of the set, as well as a nod to Melbourne producer Torren Foot (“New Bottega”), Channel Tres wasted no time in powering through. Though an early set, Channel Tres stepped up to the plate, making John Cain Arena feel like it was the smaller 170 Russell (the Melbourne club both he and Kaytranada would host a pop up show at, later that night).
With the roof of John Cain Arena well and truly closed by the time the music had started, the remnants of daylight and summer heat outside had properly been squashed – for all intents and purposes, we were all on one dancefloor, united by a love for Kaytranada’s acclaimed blend of R&B, electronic, funk and hip-hop music.
As mentioned, the visuals deserve praise as much as the music; whoever is Kaytranada’s stage and lighting designer, flowers must be given. Adding extra emotional weight to the music, the audience would find themselves awash in purple and white hues during softer moments (“CUFF IT – WETTER REMIX”, “Be Your Girl”); glitchy progressions for remixes of Justice/Tame Impala’s “Neverender” and “Need It”; and warm hues and select pyro for joints like “YOU’RE THE ONE” and “Freefall”.
Kaytranada himself looked completely immersed in his own material, which only enhanced the atmosphere in the room; a genuine love for sampling and bringing said sounds into a realm all his own was on show throughout the set. And when you’ve got a body of work that boasts three incredibly versatile studio albums (including 2016’s 99.9% and 2019’s Bubba) – putting together a show that seamlessly touches on each era…it’s a talent.
Touching on his collaborative record with US rapper Aminé (2023’s Kaytraminé), as well as a welcomed spin of his flip of Janet Jackson’s classic “If”, there was no point during the show where it felt like Kaytranada had misread the vibe of the audience, or had become too lost in the sauce.
The hits were there (“Witch”, “Intimidated”), as were prime instrumentals mixed in to bring the audience through different chapters; from the stunning Timeless track “Lover/Friend”, through to the party-ready classics such as “All Night” and “10%”.
For fans of this type of music, being able to see one of the world’s current best to do it, return to Australia at arena level like this, is encouraging.
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Too often we see international R&B and hip-hop tours play smaller venues to guarantee sales, or skip Australia altogether on a normal cycle. And while tonight’s show was tied to a major event such as the Australian Open, the enthusiasm for Kaytranada’s return has been high around the country.
A masterclass in capturing the attention and emotion of an audience, keeping it and also playing with it beautifully through music – this Kaytranada gig was a bucket list one for those hanging out for him for so long. And for those of us who have been on the journey from his early days, this was a proud moment and a welcome return, seeing someone at a unique creative peak.
Kaytranada and Channel Tres played John Cain Arena, Melbourne for AO Live on Friday, January 24th, presented by Untitled Group.
