Live Review: Empire Of The Sun @ Enmore Theatre

For a duo that created one of the most beloved albums in the last twenty years and has conquered the country and the world, Empire of the Sun have kept quiet for the best part of a decade. Their third record, Two Vines, was released in 2016, and since then, their creative input as a pair has all but dried up, with the pandemic being a significant contributing factor.

So, when the announcement came through about a short run of shows in Australia, it was with cautious optimism that this could mean something more.

A throbbing Enmore on a weekday night seemed as good a place as any to have a party, and with Robbie Chater of The Avalanches warming up the crowd with a rare set, it seemed certain that it was going to be a good one. The sneaky bit of KLF was always going to keep things interesting as well!

Arriving on stage with a huge wide-brimmed hat, plenty of smoke, plus a full band and the obligatory dancers, Luke Steele - the vocal powerhouse of the duo - reminded us of the bombastic nature of the group. Never one to be boring, even with his writing partner Nick Littlemore not on stage, there is an aura around Steele and his theatrical abilities. Standing on the Shore, the opening track from their seminal first record, started the set, and the journey began. The opening salvo of tracks felt like the perfect return from hibernation, and the weave through their three albums, with an obvious lean towards their oldest, showed this was a show to blow the cobwebs out. Not that there were many to see or hear.

Pic by Peter Dovgan

The sound in the grand old Enmore was sublime, the light show as glitzy as you'd hope, and the dizzying array of outfits and dance moves from the dancers kept us on our toes.

With Steele out front on guitar, absolutely shredding at times, you'd be excused from forgetting the all-star band around him, including Ian Ball on guitar and Olly Peacock on drums, from English indie-rock stalwarts Gomez. 

Steele was obviously having fun, and with the crowd in the palm of his hand, he decided to dabble in a track from his solo album of last year. Suddenly, we were transported to a log cabin in Northern California with a part acoustic, part psychedelic rendition of the title track, Listen to the Water.

Enjoying the freedom of not playing a festival, the band jumped into an acoustic version of I'll Be Around (once guitar tuning was sorted!). It was an opportune time to showcase something new, but it seemed a tad incongruous in the context of the party.

Pic by Peter Dovgan

This did lead into one of the highlights of the night, though, and the incorporation of video into the track, Swordfish Hotkiss Night, helped catapult one of the more experimental tracks from their debut to another level. With Steele ripping into Prince-inspired guitar licks as he faced the video of a woman singing on the back wall, there was a distinctive call-and-response that turned one of their more unique tracks into a moment to remember.

But, of course, it was Walking on a Dream that brought the crowd back. With its trademark chorus and the euphoric falsetto of Steele being emulated by everyone (for better or worse), the song really felt like 1,500 people becoming one. Such is the sheer empirical power of what is surely one of this country’s best songs of the last twenty years. Tiger By My Side was a slightly strange choice as the penultimate track, but Alive wrapped up what was a special Sydney return for one of Australia’s favourite acts. With the promise of new music, Empire of the Sun are not about to disappear into the haze just yet and that is surely something to live for.