Mickey Avalon has led a varied and colourful life. The tattooed artist worked as a male prostitute in Hollywood and struggled with a drug addiction before his rebirth as a hip hop artist.
His early recording career is linked inextricably with the social media explosion of Myspace, after Interscope and Myspace Records released his first album.
Avalon’s 2013 Australian tour featured a number of local supports as he took his 2012 album LOADED out on the road.
Two surprisingly lackluster opening acts started the night badly. Slippery MC suffered from a stunted, occasionally stumbling flow that was more forgivable than the try-hard theatrics and awkward sexual posturing of Phat Controller. The second act felt like a bogan Limp Bizkit and a bad joke, but the mood was lifted instantly by the appearance of the main support, Kid Mac.
Kid Mac was charming and professional, delivering a set that worked up the enthusiasm of the crowd. There were more than a few of Mac’s own supporters in the crowd, as evidenced by the sing a longs throughout the show. Celebrating the recent release of his new album, Head Noise, Mac was exuberant and clearly having fun with his set.
In between songs, he and his band kept the mood up, gathering the crowd behind them for a “footy photo”, to commemorate the latest hometown show. The rapper’s music translated well, with a live drummer and guitarist filling out the sound. Kid Mac’s performance became the highlight of the evening. Leading punters in shouts of “Kid Fucking Mac, Mickey Fucking Avalon”, Kid Mac had the atmosphere hyped and excited.
The appearance of Mickey Avalon was built up with a remix of the novelty song “Oh Micky”, and the rapper’s emergence from a sea of fog captured his audience. Avalon was accompanied by a dancer/stripper named Julie who changed costume in between songs and gyrated with a cigarette in hand.
Unfortunately, Mickey seemed to have traded any personal stage presence for his dancer’s visual assets. Avalon seemed wooden and disconnected throughout his performance, slurring through any between song banter. The lyrics were often difficult to make out, and with no commentary, the songs blurred.
The limited connection with the crowd was through repeated questions of “are you having a good time?” and admonitions for the audience to come by the merch stand later. The music itself was effectively executed, and there were moments when Avalon and his DJ’s obvious talent shone through.
The mash-up of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” with a classic Amen Break and some excellent rapping was evidence of Avalon’s ability to perform with verve and energy. There were definitely reminders that Avalon is a party rapper, and the crowd responded to the hard-hitting beats and guitar samples.
Another highlight was the show-stopping encore performance of the party song “My Dick”, a song that the audience had clearly been waiting for, as the repeated shouting of the title drowned out the chants of “encore”. The track’s witticisms were brought to life by the reappearance on stage of Kid Mac who traded rhymes with Mickey, ending the show on a higher note than it had held throughout. Elsewhere, songs such as “So Rich, So Pretty” used the dancer well, almost as a prop to the songs that gave Avalon a foil to play with.
Mickey Avalon’s fans were energetic and adoring, with several more enterprising males trying to grind with the dancer. The champagne spray at the end, by the ’80s gym outfit wearing Julie was enthusiastically received. The rowdier punters were into the music and were screaming for more, demonstrating the dedication of Avalon’s Sydney fan base.
Overall though, the headlining set lacked the feel of supporter Kid Mac, and came across as pale by comparison. The engagement of the audience was taken for granted more than worked for, and while the songs could be both high-energy and fun, they lacked the substance of a dedicated performer
