Aloe Blacc ‘Good Things’ Tour – Gig Review

Thursday 5th January, Enmore Theatre, Newtown: There’s something special about The Enmore Theatre. I don’t know if it’s the Newtown residents or the history that the building holds, but it never fails to host a good show.

Aloe Blacc’s show kicked off to an eager crowd with the first support act Maya Jupiter. She bounced on stage in her golden jumpsuit and got the crowd bopping with her slick vocals, proving that lyrically, she could MC to the standard of any well known hip hop act. Originally from Sydney but recently residing in LA, she looked more than happy to be home.

Next on was the Melbourne-based smooth operators Electric Empire whose touching voices complemented the low lights, making for a pretty sensual 45 minutes. If there weren’t another few thousand people there then I would have been sure they were trying to flirt with me.

The soulful American, Aloe Blacc, was the talk on everybody’s lips last year when his single ‘I Need a Dollar’ taken from his second album ‘Good Things’ flung him from local wonder, to national treasure, to worldwide name in a matter of months.

On Blacc came, suited and booted and impressed the crowd with his live singing voice, which was note perfect every single time. He looked like he was in his element on stage, a true distinguished performer thriving in the pinnacle of his career. Not only did Blacc sing with ease and elegance, but he added in some dance moves, some hip hop and some beat boxing too.

Aloe Blacc knew what the audience wanted and he had them in the palm of his hand participating in songs and clapping on cue. He belted out ‘I Need a Dollar’ with such passion at the end of his set, it was a surprise to see him return for a three song encore. The encore included a lively collaboration with Maya Jupiter and a cover of Billie Jean.

On the surface, Aloe Blacc has magnetic charm and charisma and that’s why he is where he is, but you can see that underneath all that he stays true to his roots. It’s clearly all about good music, a good relationship with the audience and a good performance. Blacc certainly didn’t fail to impress me.

By Sarah Wilk