Live Review: Godlands, Twerl, Zios

At her sold out Hobart show on the 4 U Only tour, Godlands headlined a sweat-inducing club experience in the intimate Uni Bar that left everyone happily exhausted.

Local DJ Zios immediately set the tone for the big energy of the night ahead, playing remixes of hit tracks like Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy and Khalid’s Talk. Despite having only a sprinkling of moshers, each one matched the DJ’s boundless energy by dancing wildly across the empty dancefloor, soaking up each heavy bass drop.

Perth's Twerl began by spinning some trap-inspired covers of classics such as Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65, kicking off the set in a polished and mature way. Each song was followed up with the next industrial bass drop before anyone could get bored of the current beat. By the time he was halfway through his set, the bar was packed, his cool and confident stage presence standing out by his sheer focus on delivering the heaviest and loudest sound possible.

Before we had time to catch our breath, Godlands took to the stage exclaiming her excitement about her first-ever sold out show. Jumping straight in, she played trap renditions of the Spice Girls' Wannabe and Kendrick Lamar’s Humble, inspiring the crowd to sing and rap along while getting down to the beats. The Adelaide native showed off her loud personality as she jumped up and down, yelling “1, 2, 3, go!” as the bass dropped. Wails of excitement filled the room when she declared, “This is my new favourite place to play!" The guttural bass pulsated through bodies, percussion the driving force of her sound, jungle drums guiding us through the next song. Hip hop production sent listeners into a trance, when suddenly a fresh drum track would pull us back out of it.

The room shook with attendees riding on shoulders, swinging around disco balls on the ceiling, many dressed in light suits and holding up Spirit Of Tasmania signs – a bit of hometown pride. Sensing this energy, Godlands leapt in for a crowdsurf, being carried far from the stage before desperately pointing to be taken back. As the set wore on, the mosh thinned out for the perfect dancing conditions, making the experience much easier to get into.

The air was thick with smoke and the breath of dancers, condensation visibly dripping down the walls as the show came to a close. “I am overwhelmed,” Godlands said, before introducing her final song for the night. Godlands’ intention for the tour was to step outside of the festival experience and give fans a chance to get up close and personal. She undoubtedly delivered that night.