Flume began his North American tour at the Sylvee in Madison, Wisconsin to be followed up by venues all over the United States.
A quiet synth note played, kicking off the ‘Palaces’ tour for Flume. Then another, coupled with quiet hymns and a gentle violet light. These factors coupled together served as an almost hypnotic entrance to the first act of the night, Chrome Sparks.
Chrome Sparks, also known as Jeremy Malvin, is an American DJ and producer. He is known for production work with artists such as Bryson Tiller and Khalid.
“Are you ready?” he beckoned as the lights shifted away from cool blues and purples to vibrant shades of pink, indicating the change of pace about to ensue.
Weaving together his own vocals as well as the synth, Chrome Sparks created beats that brought the continually growing crowd to motion. He then continued the set utilizing a spectrum of colors; green, red, purple and eventually yellow.
As the show progressed, the music crescendoed in unison, building in intensity and pace.
The second performer to step out on stage was Tkay Maidza, a fellow Australian musician alongside headliner Flume. Maidza is a singer-songwriter and rapper of Zimbabwean and Australian descent.
She was introduced by her DJ, Shwezed, who riled up the crowd before remixing Trademark USA by Baby Keem. Shwezed is a member of Two Fresh Beats, producers known for collabs with Justine Skye and DUCKWRTH.
Maidza then entered with her opening song to a fully packed lower layer before asking the crowd, “How y’all feeling?”
Jumping into her next song, Maidza kept the energy dialed all the way up during her time on stage, bouncing and jumping while dancing across the stage. She transitioned to a slower song of hers, “So Cold,” with the lights dimming down and changing to purple, orange and red hues.
She kept the crowd wrapped around her finger, using bright strobes and catchy vocals.
Flume stepped out at 10 p.m., three hours and two acts since the start of the concert, to an entirely packed crowd in the Sylvee.
Teal and green lights washed over the crowd as he began to play his hit song “The Difference.” Videos of birds that have been an integral theme of the album were projected behind him as he performed, with the crowd jumping emphatically up and down with every build and drop through his first song. The energy only built as large arches in Flume’s set moved behind him, creating a tunnel illuminated by strobing lights.
As the concert progressed, the arches began to split apart while the imagery shifted from birds to people and eventually to abstract patterns projected across the entire stage. Flume covered a huge range of his discography, with songs such as “You & Me” from his self-titled debut album and “Say Something” from Palaces.
During both “Never be Like You” and “Say Something,” artist May-A joined Flume on stage, performing vocals on both pieces.
Flume finished off the last song of his set, bathing the crowd in white lights as psychedelic imagery danced on the arches.
Met with roaring applause and an audience packed at every level, despite the changes faced in society over the last few years, “Palaces” proves that Flume’s music has a place within the uncertainty of today.
Flume released his album “Palaces” on May 20, 2022 after a six year hiatus.
Flume began writing the album in the early stages of the pandemic, with “feelings of post relationship clarity” as stated in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Bird imagery on the album cover, being that of a whip bird, is inspired by the nature that surrounded Flume in South Wales. The visuals of the album were designed as a collaboration between Flume and artist Jonathan Zawada, who produced the majority of the visuals involved with the album through 3D modeling.
Palaces is available on all streaming services now.
Rating: A
