Listen In Festival
Featuring: Skrillex, A$AP Rocky, Skepta, Quix & B Wise
28th September 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by David Watson.
Five years ago masterminds by the name of Fuzzy created Listen Out; introduced as a replacement for Parklife the inaugural dance and hip-hop festival was a huge hit and has only continued to grow in both size and popularity. Teaming up with Live Nation and Listen In was birthed, 2018 marking the first year that New Zealand fans would get a taste of what Fuzzy had to offer.
Kicking off in the late afternoon Spark Arena opened its doors to an all ages crowd, many dressed to impress. With the unfortunate last-minute cancellation of American rapper Lil Skies, the festival began on a more low-key vibe with African-Australian artist B Wise stepping in as replacement. This MC has been making head roads in the Australian Hip Hop scene since 2015 when he released the infectious ‘Prince Akeem’; three years later and appearing on the same bill as some of the biggest names in the world, it can be guaranteed that B Wise’s star will only continue to become brighter.
Impressively running to schedule as the venue began to quickly fill and the enthusiastic patrons down on the floor joyously welcomed one of their own as Jono Schnell aka Quix took to the stage. The master of trap dressed in a simple acid wash denim jacket hit the crowd hard and fast with a mix that included fierce hits such as ‘Rampage’ by Gravedgr, ‘Dinner Chat’ by Jauz & Josh Pan & Yookie and for the old schoolers a little ‘Juicy’ by The Notorious B.I.G the sweet nod to one of the originators of the hip-hop scene obviously respected as fans sang along. With futuristic thunderstorms and 3D graphics of skate parks playing out across the screen on the front of his mixing desk, those down on the barrier would have enjoyed the heady mix of visuals and sound, disappointingly the giant screen behind him was never utilised which seemed a waste considering the quality of what was being seen. RL Grime was the artist who first inspired Quix so it was no surprise that a little of the master’s work made it into the mix, ‘Pressure’ soon leading into the What So Not & Quix remix of Awolnations ‘Run’ the crowd going insane for the massive drops. Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Swimming Pools’ and Mura Masa’s ‘Lotus Eater’ soon led into Quix’s own ‘Giving Up’ featuring Jaden Michaels to finish his set off, the crowd now amped and ready for what the rest of the night had to offer.
As 99% of the ladies in the venue sang ‘Bodak Yellow’ by Cardi B that was blasting across the PA system word for word, bodies began to pour through the doors in anticipation for the first of the three big name acts of the night.
Hailing from North London, Skepta is a name that is synonymous with grime, the rapper and producer commanding a legion of fans worldwide. Hitting the stage in a blinding fluoro hoodie pulled up over the top of a cap and sunnies, Skepta came out running, throwing down tracks such as ‘Ghost Ride’ and ‘Gingerbread Man’. Unsurprisingly Spark Arena threatened to implode as the opening beats of ‘It Ain’t Safe’ rang out, those on the floor moving as one collective beast as giant on screen visuals bathed the stage in blood red, the muzzle of a gun flashing periodically. Skepta worked the entire length of the stage, his distinctive vocals punching through as he performed ‘Crime Riddim’, ‘Numbers’ and of course ‘Shutdown’ pausing briefly to thank the New Zealand fans for their support, especially of his last album Konnichiwa. All too soon his set came to and end, his legend status well cemented following such a killer performance that was bellicose as it was forthright.
Set up took a little longer for A$AP Rocky’s set, allowing patrons a much-needed chance to re-hydrate or in some cases jostle for a better position.
As the lights came up and smoke crept in from the sides the crowd cheered ferociously at the scene set before them; emulating the theme of his latest studio album Testing, each side of the stage was adorned with a crash test car, the dummies hanging through the front windscreens. Between them a five-piece live band were lit from behind with giant visuals of A$AP’s name. With a set that was a mix of old and new, soft and hardcore, the American rapper held the fans from start to finish, the lyrics for ‘Kids Turned Out Fine’ playing out behind him to kick everything off. ‘Telephone Calls’ moved through to ‘Tony Tone’ the floor bouncing underneath thousands of feet, while throw backs to his earlier work in the form of ‘Angels’ proved the old fans from the new.
The heat soon turned up as more hardcore tracks such as ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2’ and ‘Fxxkin Problems’ dropped; Rocky soon taking it back down again with a love song for the crowd with ‘Everyday’ featuring the sultry vocals of Rod Stewart. Pyro cannons literally brought the heat for A$AP Rocky’s collaboration with headliner Skrillex in the form of ‘Wild For The Night’, the venue feeling like an international dance club as it slid into the G-Eazy track ‘No Limit’. Finishing off with ‘Yamborghini High’ and the fans gave it everything they had to demonstrate their appreciation for this member of the A$AP Mob.
The mellifluous tones of Bob Marley filled the arena as the lights came up allowing the crowd the chance to breathe and re-organise themselves for the upcoming headline act, the stage coming alive with techs who ushered in an exciting array of lighting structures.
What seemed like only a short time later, air raid sirens underpinned the spine-tingling sound of the haka being performed as the front of the stage was illuminated in red, this respectful homage to the people of New Zealand a brilliant way to kick off the finale of Listen In. Despite only being thirty years old, Skrillex is a stalwart of the music scene having been involved in several projects since 2004 before changing his name to Skrillex in 2008; and with his performance tonight it is obvious to see why he is still at the top of his game. ‘Timeless Line’ flowed into ‘Levels’ by Avicii before air raid sirens once again eerily shadowed Migos ‘Bad and Boujee’ Skrillex mixing tracks together so smoothly that it was mind-blowing. Lighting effects that combined everything from golden flower shapes to lasers had the crowd cheering throughout, for many – this being their first official international EDM experience – a night they would not soon forget.
Skrillex is an artist that likes to put himself into everything wholeheartedly, often jumping on top of his mixing desk and asking the crowd to scream as he dropped ‘Sicko Mode’ by Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’ making a welcomed appearance. Post Malone’s ‘Congratulations’ segued into another nod to New Zealand as the crowd was bathed in green for Lorde’s ‘Green Light’ before Skrillex displayed his love for the Kiwi’s by waving a giant Silver Fern flag in the air to the Skrillex and Diplo version of Justin Bieber’s ‘Where are Ü Now’. Rasta coloured lighting, CO2 cannons, pyro – his set had it all, time flying by as he moved from one banger to the next, Skrillex of course dropping in a few of his own such as ‘Kyoto’ for good measure.
But he certainly saved the best for last, his huge hit ‘Bangarang’ featuring Sirah bringing the house down as lasers reached across the room and dinosaurs morphed into hyper stylised memes on screen. Requesting everyone to take out their phones and shine a light, Skrillex imparted a message of love and togetherness, the final line from Coldplay’s track ‘Fix You’ leading into the Benny Benassi song ‘Cinema’, the room filling with positivity and good vibes.
If this is the world class quality that Listen In has to offer there is no doubt that New Zealand will be welcoming it back with open arms.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this extravagant party? Or have you seen any of the acts on the bill perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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