Live Review: Electric Fields, Promise

"If you’re feeling good, we’re feeling good!" was the mantra for Electric Fields' Thursday night gig in Hobart, and it was exactly that from start to end. 

The duo was supported by local act Promise, a 26-year-old rapper who released his self-titled debut album in April this year. The album is a blend of personal and sociopolitical messaging, influenced by the artist's Ethiopian and Eritrean roots. This influence carried through to Promise’s live performance, which featured a remix of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come, and lyrics focused on black empowerment, breaking down stereotypes and racism. 

Promise delivered a considered set, taking the audience through the highs and lows of his own life experience. From his best known track Missing You - a song dedicated to his brother Naz Woldemichael, who has been missing since October 2016 - to African Woman, an uplifting ode to black beauty. Although in front of a conservatively numbered crowd, Promise gave the audience his all, inviting rappers Dunn D and Jayden Appleby to join him on the stage, and making for an energetic opening for the main act. 

Electric Fields were instantly mesmerising. From the banter of electronica producer Michael Ross, to the captivating voice and movement of Zaachariaha Fielding it was easy to see why they have not stopped touring since the release of their debut EP in 2016. 

The duo performed their 2000 And Whatever tour as part of Hobart’s Festival of Voices, offering up a mix of old, new, and yet to be released music from an album currently in the works.

In between tracks, Fielding explained the meaning behind songs sung in the Indigenous language Pitjantjatjara, providing context to a stripped back and hauntingly beautiful version of their song Inma. 

Later the crowd swooned to Nina giving Fielding’s voice room to soar in the awed silence. The joy in the room was palpable and the audience was once again reminded by Fielding that "if you’re feeling good, we’re feeling good". 

They finished the set with a rendition of Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) by Rozalla, a fitting end to a night of musical empowerment. 

Unsurprisingly, the audience wanted more and Electric Fields returned to the stage for an encore. With the flash of a smile, Fielding commented, "You’re greedy and we like it," before launching into a dance-inducing rendition of Don’t You Worry.