Live Review: Flume, Vince Staples, Sophie

"Ladies and gents, all bags must be checked and water tipped out. Free water inside," screeches an officious hi-vis-vest-wearing security guard on the way in. We swear that Black Summer, the dance music producer/DJ from the Uncle Tobys ad, is sitting in the row in front of us with his dad! Venues seem to be getting into playing meditation music in between sets instead of bangers these days. Has there been some kind of study?   

Enter London's Sophie (christened Samuel Long) in oversized candy-pink puffer jacket concealing an outfit we wish we could actually see and over-the-knee black latex kinky boots. He hides behind a sweeping shock of burgundy fringe, barely looks up from the console and produces sounds that make our throats vibrate from the inside. It's excellent to challenge young ears in this way. Sophie deals squelchy doomsday cuts fit for a 6am Revolver set, including Lemonade, but then we're treated to a pastiche of genres. An intriguing artist who has produced Madonna, Charli XCX and Le1f, we'll be checking him out next time he's in town for sure.   

After another set of meditation music, Vince Staples bounces out. He performs at the very front of the stage in front of a giant screen (on which we spy manipulated Desperately Seeking Susan footage at one point) with his hypeman on beats. Birds & Bees is an early highlight, but Staples is stroppy for some reason. "Get your fucking hands up!" he roars. Sidney Myer Music Bowl must look unusual from the stage, with a rammed GA section behind a fence while people are mostly seated in the Bowl. Looking out of it seems to be Staples' steez. "This is no Adele concert," he barks. "Stand up!" Ghost ("You're so damn high might see a ghost") perfectly showcases his monotone flow as footage from the film of the same name starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore haunts the screen. But Staples is still fuming. "Two hands in the air! And if you don't have any hands, lift a leg if you're a handicap" - what!? Staples needs to realise that his solo material is different from his features on Flume tracks. This is a potential new fanbase, but his attitude sucks. Whatever he's sulking about, as Flume's guest Staples should get over it; he just comes across as bratty. Looking around, there are people who are into it and Staples should focus on these punters to feed off their energy. Staples then appears to finish mid-song, spitting "thank you" into the mic. Then his hypeman follows, leaving the track to play out. Kind of like arriving late (and drunk) at your friend's dinner party, shitting in the sink and then leaving.

The energy build-up leading into Flume o'clock is organic, from meditation music to intro soundscape. There's a hairy moment when a vicious gust of wind tears the floor to ceiling black curtain that conceals Flume's set and we almost get a premature reveal, but this is quickly rectified by quick-thinking stage hands. Punters storm the aisles and the curtain drops to reveal Harley Streten (Flume), absolutely beaming, up on a riser behind his consoles underneath illuminated cubes and before a screen featuring crystal-clear 3D visuals. Streten dons his stage clothes, including a crisp white button-up shirt, and is ridiculously genetically blessed. Holdin On's singalong is deafening ("My HIP shakin' mother, I love you!"). Glistening mannequins in jelly-baby colours fall in slow-motion on the giant screen behind Streten. Staples comes back on for his first feature (Smoke & Retribution) and is energised, like a different person when sharing Flume's stage. Lilac-haired vocalist Kucka expertly supplies the helium-high parts in this song. A sheet of lasers rises up, like red pinstripes reaching up diagonally into the sky through smoke. Streten looks genuinely excited to hear featured artists performing, casting smiles their way, and he's always active up there; it never looks like Streten's checking his socials. In stark contrast to his support act, Streten is so grateful and humble; constantly clapping us and looking around as if he can't believe his luck.

Now there's a melting 3D werewolf on the screen. Flume's remix of Lorde's Tennis Court is a crowd favourite, accompanied by glistening crown visuals. Punters yell Never Be Like You lyrics out so loudly that we can't even hear the onstage vocalist. Streten gazes up and out of the Bowl, marvelling, "I can't even see the end!" Suddenly the cubes at the bottom of the DJ booth become transparent and we notice Streten is wearing white shorts. We all sing blissfully along with Say It ("When you say it like that, oh-oh-OH-oh/Mm-mm-mm-mmmm"). "Oh, and mum's in the crowd tonight. Shout-out to mum!" Streten hollers.

For the encore we're treated to Flume's recent Like A Version, My Boo by Ghost Town DJs, with Kucka and Staples on vocal duty. There's visuals of a naked and pregnant Pinocchio figure with flowers growing from his nose? Then dancers with chrome sections of their bodies grace the screen. Streten can't resist our cheers. "I don't know what the fuck I'm gonna do?" What comes next? Disclosure's You & Me with Streten drumming. The drop devastates and we writhe as if possessed. Flume is such a remixing genius that he somehow manages to breathe new life into already perfect songs, digging deeper than the original songwriter could ever have imagined in their wildest dreams.

This evening demonstrates that Flume's success is anything but a fluke. As we wander up the hill, a crew initiates an enthusiastic singalong of Bruce Channel's Hey! Baby and the crowd's euphoria wafts up into the atmosphere.