Live Review: Peking Duk, Kwame, Kira Puru

Kicking off their aptly named Biggest Tour Ever, Canberra’s dynamic duo Peking Duk hit Red Hill Auditorium in Perth on Saturday for a night of non-stop energy.

Introducing the night was Kira Puru. Her funk-infused production and radio-friendly melodies could have placed her as the vocalist for any of Peking Duk’s countless hits, and it was quickly evident that her sound perfectly fit the bill. A standout from her repertoire came in the form of her soon-to-be-released single, Everything Is Better Without You, a gleeful song centred on “freeing yourself from toxic bullshit”.

Scene-smashing rapper Kwame has become a go-to support for Peking Duk in the past 12 months. Showing exactly why he’s viewed as one of Australia’s hottest rappers, his first song saw the immediate forming of a bustling moshpit. Despite Kwame’s precise delivery, an apparent failure in production failed to truly bring the hard-hitting nature of tracks like WOW and CLOUDS. to life, but this in turn enabled his flawless vocal cadence to shine through. Despite less than ideal sonics, the Sydneysider successfully energised the crowd ahead of the headline act.

The growing hostility from the swelling crowd was immediately relieved as Peking Duk hit the stage to the sound of the Jurassic Park theme song, before quickly diving into their AlunaGeorge-assisted Fake Magic. With fans on shoulders and a sea of hands waving in the air, the set continued in spectacular fashion with tracks Sugar and Say My Name greeted with fanfare from all corners of the amphitheatre. 

After Kwame returned to the stage to lend his vocals for a track, the duo’s set then drew upon an odd mix of well-known songs from Enya and Nirvana to raise the energy of the crowd in typical Peking Duk fashion. However, unlike previous Peking Duk shows, those moments were rare, the set instead often coming to a standstill for stripped-back, a cappella introductions to songs like Stranger and High. 

While the show at times lacked the constant barrage of upbeat, energetic sounds from genres like hardstyle and trap that typically fill their shows, Peking Duk delivered a performance that was difficult not to enjoy, with fans enjoying a night of thrills in one of Perth’s best outdoor settings.