Live Review: Post Malone, Mallrat, Yung Sly, Your Girl Pho

Post Malone is a modern music sensation. A product of the SoundCloud generation, he's experienced unstoppable momentum since his 2016 album Stoney rose to prominence. Malone has quickly gained traction outside of the USA with his thoughtful and genre-bending blend of soul-packed hip hop, electronic beats and rock influences climbing the charts Down Under. His first appearance in WA for 2018 was enough to warrant a sold-out national tour with venue upgrades to boot.

Supports were provided courtesy of Perth local, Your Girl Pho. New on the scene with hypnotic R&B slow jams mixed in with a dash of ultramodern electronic production, her set began as a chill slow burn for the start of night. Your Girl Pho then built up to an impressive, pumping, electronic jam before closing. Supported by a DJ and with Pho slaying on vocals, the party had officially begun.

Yung Sly, another Perth resident, fired up a DJ mix of everything from the latest heat to classic old-school bangers. Pumping up vibes from the mellow beats of Pho, Sly brought everything from Big Shaq to Skrillex to the table and expertly blended these into a mix so hot that the 5,000-plus crowd were glad to be packed into an open air venue. An unexpected highlight came when a bloke with a broken leg madly waved his crutches in the air. The entire auditorium was on their feet, bouncing to Kanye & Jay Z's Who Gon Stop Me shortly before a Vengaboys mix made everyone lose their minds. A full one-hour set was over in what felt like a few minutes.

Then a wild Mallrat appeared. Supported by her resident DJ and fellow Queenslander pal, Denim, her delicate vocals and bubbly personality carried energy across her set, front to back, hyping the crowd for Post Malone. Highlights included an excursion to the Japan-inspired track Bunny Island and latest hit Better, with its sunshiny optimism and laid-back grooves. She bid farewell with the funky tones of Inside Voices, leaving the crowd eager anticipating the headliner.

Then the 'Posty!' chants began. Post Malone swaggered onto the Red Hill Auditorium stage like he'd been in the game for the past four decades. His stage presence was instant, commanding all eyes. Bud Light in hand, wrapped in the customary Southern Cross stubby holder, it was quickly sculled and handed out into the adoring crowd. He offered a chirpy greeting in the form of, "What the fuck is going on Perth!!?" before launching into Too Young quickly followed by Go Flex. Another beer was drained as Malone charmed the crowd with his laid-back banter and immaculate vocals.

Perth's own YouTuber Maxmoefoe came out for a brief moment to present Malone with a shoey full of Bud Light to smash before the next song, while exclaiming ,"Y'all, that's fucking disgusting!"

The lights dimmed and an intro to I Fall Apart kicked in: "This is a song for the bitch who broke my fucking heart." This girl really broke his heart and Malone poured its remaining pieces out into the crowd, captivating every single person in the audience. Only three songs into the show, the passion was alive and pulsating through every fibre of Red Hill.

Next up were solid performances of No Option, Up There and Deja Vu in-between lashings of even more Bud Light. The New Yorker kept the party balling, flowing from track to track.

A short intermission hit, during which Malone was presented onstage with a bright white guitar for the slow jam Feeling Whitney. He got down on his knees to strum soulfully alongside with emotive vocals. It was a welcome change of pace, with a sea of iPhones lighting up the auditorium. Set highlights soon followed, including hits Candy Paint and Money Made Me Do It.

By the last few songs Malone was starting to show the effects of the beer, swaggering around onstage and clearly in his element. Rockstar, probably his biggest hit Down Under, brought his signature blend of rock and hip hop. The crowd went wild and the energy was unbelievable. As the song hit its closing bars, Malone grabbed the Feeling Whitney guitar from earlier and slammed it into the stage, shattering it to pieces and destroying it in true homage to the rockstars before him.

Closing on a back-to-back high with his breakthrough hit White Iverson and a more recent jam Congratulations, the show felt less about performance and more about creating a party, which produced one of the best atmospheres imaginable. Everyone was on the same level, madly chanting, jumping, dancing, smoking and drinking. It didn't feel like an isolated performance where Malone rocked up, performed his songs and left. He was a part of the night, a part of the crowd and drove this party to the next level. At the end of his set, Malone was practically dragged off stage by concerned-looking security, giving the crowd one final salute as he left.

Malone came to party and party is exactly what he did. He delivered a solid performance and perfectly captured a vibe that kickstarted 2018 in the ultimate way. He might be a categorised as a rapper, but the 'fuck money, fuck fame, let's all just have a good time' attitude paints Malone as a true Rockstar.