Live Review: Childish Gambino

In his first Perth show in four years and after various cancelled appearances, Childish Gambino shone bright in a 90-minute spectacle of light, sound and expression.

It’s safe to say that Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, is a man of many talents. As an actor, comedian, writer, producer, director and musician, it’s easy to see how he could be running on a pretty tight schedule. While he played Falls Festival in 2016, he never made it over to Perth, playing no sideshows. After a foot injury led him to cancel his Australian 2018 tour, fans were feverishly eager to finally witness his musical talents as he hit HBF Stadium on Sunday night.

A bare-chested Glover rose through the floor of the catwalk centrestage, his strong stance soundtracked by a yet unreleased track. As the ultra-extravagant light show kicked in, it was immediately clear that no expense had been spared for Gambino’s return to Australia. 

“I know it took me a little bit to get here but I appreciate you all coming tonight,” Glover remarked, going on to reference the show as “the last Childish Gambino show ever”.

Gambino glided around the stage, showing off his dance moves as rattled through the island-ready Summertime Magic and the bass-spilling Worldstar. The latter saw Glover’s rapping proficiency on full display and brought the UFO-like light show into full flight. His impressive vocals could be heard crisply above the brash and hard-hitting percussion of his live band, who were positioned on an elevated platform behind the main stage.

After disappearing from the stage and resurfacing in the grandstands of the venue, Glover introduced the live band through an impromptu soul-driven jam session, all while being swarmed by fans in the audience. The segment also saw Glover express his admiration for Perth’s hottest musical export in recent memory, Tame Impala.

This instrument-laden jam served as a smooth transition into the show’s next section, which saw him dive into the content of his most recent (and most experimental) album, Awaken, My Love!. Glover’s passionate delivery on tracks like Me And Your Mama and Terrified, coupled with astounding, extended arrangements of the tracks, sent frisson gushing through the audience. 

Glover soon fell to his knees and shared an intimate moment with the crowd: “I’ve been told you are the most isolated capital city in the world... I associate with that a lot. I guess that’s why you make great music, you’re introspective people.”

The final portion of the night kicked the show into its highest gear as favourites like Sober, 3005 and Sweatpants brought the entire stadium to its feet. The wonderfully abrasive and turbulent #1 hit This Is America shook the venue and transformed the standing audience into a bouncing sea of raised hands. With dance moves straight from the now-iconic music video, Gambino was upstaged by the school kid back-up dancers who saved their best for a dance-off that rounded out the track. An opulent performance of the recently teased, yet to be released Human Sacrifice served as a notable highlight here. The track sounds like the love child of Michael Jackson, Daft Punk and 808s-era Kanye West, and its grandiose live rendition spanned well over five minutes.

Astoundingly, Glover’s versatile rapping and singing styles were able to be sustained throughout the night, his often lofty vocals runs rarely faltering. This was reinforced by his stellar delivery of the undulating Redbone to close the night, complete with flawless falsetto and controlled, Rick James-esque shrieks of passion.

Glover’s ability to bring the audience on an emotional journey through raw, artistic expression is like few others, and the magnitude of his talent and commitment to his live performance should not be questioned. A truly memorable performance that delivered on every level – let’s hope it’s not his last.