Kicking Off Festival Season at Listen Out 2023
Festival season has finally kicked off in Australia and what better way to start off with the sugar and spice of hip hop/electronic festival - Listen Out! Travelling across cities in Australia with headlining artists including Ice Spice, Skrillex, Lil Uzi Vert and more, Listen Out was THE place to dance your heart out under the sun the past week.
Three immaculate stages with fierce and bold lineups covering a wide range of national and international baddies who give a significant edge to the electronic and hip-hop scene, thousands of people flooded through the gates to witness an electrifying day-to-night performance. Left to right you could witness an endless wave of people in long sparkly braids, ice spice capes and an endless abundance of smiles on countless faces. Mosh pits grew at a rapid rate and the vibes radiated through the air.
Some of my favourite underrated artists of the day who I genuinely loved and couldn’t help dancing my own way out of the pit include Gomeroi / Wodi Wodi artist - Kobie Dee, Princess of Brisbane - Mallrat, Rising North London Artist - JBEE and Peggy - also known as JPEGMAFIA. I could only imagine how tired the artists must have felt after completing the majority of the Listen Out route, but their stage presence was more than I could have ever expected. Owning the stage with their unique essence and giving the crowd an unforgettable performance that left them wanting more.
As the sun continues to set into the distance, the sounds of pulsing techno beats and the hands of tens and thousands of people rise to the sky for the excitement of a thrilling lineup to occur ahead of them. Coi Leray was the first of Atari’s long-awaited top 3 artists to perform on stage and she left nothing but a lot of love and endless twirling dance routines. Her smash hit ‘Players’ was a particular favourite from the crowd that got the crowd singing nearly every single lyric to her song.
Endless flames lit the stage up for the highly anticipated performance of renowned rapper Lil Uzi Vert. With a backpack strapped on his back, jumping across the stage to and fro, his hits from his latest album ‘Pink Tape’ made an appearance to a very responsive and loud crowd that couldn’t stop them from moshing to the familiar Tik Tok sensation ‘Just Wanna Rock’.
The Atari stage had one last performance to wrap up the night and the queen of the ‘Deli’ - Miss Ice Spice made her debut down under. Among one of the crowd’s favourite artists of the night, the audience's faces lit up as soon as she stepped out on that stage and was ready to give a performance of a lifetime. Known for her iconic hits ‘Boys a Liar’ and ‘Deli’, Ice Spice was hands down the most radiant artist I have ever witnessed and I would do anything to see her live again.
There was one last act to be the cherry on top of all the performances at Listen Out, and no other than the man, the myth, the legend, Skrillex himself left nothing but an out-of-this-world experience. Not a single person standing still near the 909 stage, lasers and smoke machines travelled out into the audience among each song. Playing his old-time hits of ‘Bangarang’, ‘Humble - Remix’ and ‘Where Are U Now’, Skrillex was leaving nothing behind for his performance and he made sure the crowd knew that.
This was my second time attending Listen Out and to this day is still one of my favourite music festivals I have ever attended in Australia. I can’t wait to see what we are bound to witness at next year’s Listen Out Tour 2024.