Live Review: Fatboy Slim, 2manydjs, Icarus, Love Deluxe, Tina Says, Matt Granich

Fatboy Slim’s 2002 Brighton beach gig is something of a legend to electronic music fans. What was supposed to be an impressive 60,000 fans exploded to over a quarter of a million punters for the free beach-side gig. When Frontier Touring decided to bring the big beat maestro back Down Under, they obviously drew inspiration from this show by booking a series of beachfront locations.

For Perth fans, the stage was set up on Whitfords Nodes, a mere hop, skip and a jump from the Indian Ocean. Sadly for ticket holders (and a boon for locals who wanted to see the show without shelling out $100+ for a ticket), the high sand dunes were a barrier to a true ocean-fronted gig.

The weather gods truly smiled though. Sunday was bright, sunny and hot, but a breeze coming off the ocean kept it at just the right temperature for a day of dancing. 

It was a quiet start with Perth locals Matt Granich and Tina Says playing to a smattering of patrons. Some were setting up camp underneath the trees to avoid the mid-afternoon heat, while others were dancing and one guy even appeared to be having a siesta in the sun. This was definitely a gig whose audience skewed older. Teenage fans from the '90s were out in force taking advantage of the early start and finish. Reading the crowd perfectly, Tina Says played a mixture of classic electronica with modern remixes thrown in for good measure.

Sydney’s Love Deluxe then took to the stage with a set that was full of summery afternoon sounds. With housey piano, brass and diva vocals on offer, it was a very casual and laidback set that was welcomed by the slowly growing crowd.

Love Deluxe @ Nodes Park. Photo by Dana Weeks.

Finally it was time for the first international act of the day. Bristol-based brothers Icarus took to the stage, and it seemed with every track they dropped, the crowd had doubled in size. Attendees bounced across the dancefloor for a boogie before rushing off for a drink. This was very forward-looking modern house with a serious tech bend. It was melodic with a hard, razor edge and smatterings of their own tracks like October and Echoes thrown in for good measure.

Icarus @ Nodes Park. Photo by Dana Weeks.

From one set of brothers to another, David and Stephen Dewaele (2manydjs) took to the stage and went from zero to party in record time. The masters of the mash-up jumped from track to track faster than punters could Shazam them - Justice into AC/DC, Diplo into Frankie Goes To Hollywood, it was a rollercoaster ride of genres. However, the last 15 minutes of their set was marred by a series of train-wreck mixes and songs clashing together (and not in that fun electroclash way).

2manydjs @ Nodes Park. Photo by Dana Weeks.

With the sun setting and a quick change of gear on stage it was finally time for Mr Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, to take to the stage. Looking like your daggy uncle in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and bare feet, he was welcomed by a screaming crowd of fans that stretched as far as the eye could see. 

Ever the consummate showman, the set was a mixture of visuals, confetti, lasers, air horns, glow sticks and smiley face motifs. Like a kid who had too much cordial, Cook bounced from edge to edge of the stage and jumped down almost into the crowd to initiate impromptu singalongs. 

Fatboy Slim @ Nodes Park. Photo by Dana Weeks.

Some memorable moments included Cook informing the crowd that “music sounds better with EU” (during the classic Stardust track) and a remix of Right Here, Right Now synced to Greta Thunberg's famous speech at the UN's Climate Action Summit.

The show moved at a frenetic pace, Cook remixing and mashing snippets of Fatboy Slim originals into a more modern EDM sound. The last 15 minutes were the true highlight though. The opening bars of Praise You had the whole crowd singing along. This led straight into The Rockafeller Skank, mashed into The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones. The lights went up, Cook took a series of bows, and then we were left in a field with thousands of people wondering, “How the hell am I gonna get an Uber home?”