FOMO came correct to Parramatta Park at the weekend and we’re still buzzing. Now in its third year running, the festival saw an incredible lineup hit Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne this year to help punters get their freak on with one stage, zero clashes and zero worries.
We breezed in just in time for Tourist to take the stage. The UK producer has been a festival staple in Australia over the last couple of years, having completed a run with Laneway Festival last year and returning recently for a string of events across both sides of the country. His buoyant brand of electronica swept out across the valley and kicked things off in an awesome wave.
Next up, TDE It Girl SZA ignited the crowd with a brief but electric performance. Her 2017 debut Ctrl stole the hearts of damn near everyone who had one, and with her live band in tow, she belted out pure favourites including The Weekend, Supermodel and Kendrick collab Doves In The Wind.
The legendary Post Malone shortly followed to an absolutely ecstatic reception. Motioning toward the audience, someone threw him a rank, muddy sneaker and he proceeded with his signature shoey move that we clearly couldn’t start the show without. His loveable personality shined through in his on-stage banter between hits like Rockstar, White Iversion, Candy Paint and Congratulations.
A sweet sunset slot from Kaytranada took us smoothly into the night. His deck was hidden behind a wall of LED lights with a GoPro perched on top to capture all of his quirky jives. His rework of Flume track Sleepless had the crowd in a frenzy.
Onto a pounding set from ZHU, the California based producer let rip track after banging track, including a dope edit of Michael Jackson’s Thriller which spared no one’s butts from grooving.
Finally, a wicked closing set from RL Grime was looming, pyrotechnics and all. Opening with the utterly dystopian 2017 single Era, we lost a firm grip on our minds before the fire balls had even kicked in.
If you didn’t attend this bootylicious spectacle, check all of the action below, and make sure you head out next year. We’re already thirsty for what 2019 will bring.
Tourist
SZA
Post Malone
Kaytranada
ZHU
RL Grime
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
Post Malone is currently on tour in Australia, and he’s been picking up a few local traditions along the way— most notably, of course, the classic shoey.
The Rockstar artist was filmed drinking shoeys onstage in Brisbane. Now, the event has been immortalised on a huge wall in Melbourne:
Do you think @postmalone would be a sick cunt and come down to this wall in Melbourne to do a shoey? pic.twitter.com/0XjZwUXAWp
— LUSHSUX (@lushsux) January 9, 2018
The mural—which is based on a photo taken at FOMO Brisbane by photographer Tobias Baxter—was posted along with the caption, “Do you think @postmalone would be a sick cunt and come down to this wall in Melbourne to do a shoey?” We have a feeling the answer will be yes, so stay tuned for more.
The piece was created by talented, notorious graffiti artist Lushsux, who Aussies will know from murals of celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Taylor Swift, as well as controversial portrayals of politicians like Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Hillary Clinton. This one’s far less controversial, so there’s a pretty high chance it won’t be removed (unlike many of his other portraits).
Post Malone continues his Australian tour this week, performing at FOMO Festival in Melbourne and Sydney. Consistently smashing streaming records across the globe, he’s expected to drop his sophomore record, Beerbongs & Bentleys, some time this year.
Image: Lushsux
Say NO to clashes and let your summer festival experience be epitomised by this absolutely delicious lineup brought to you by FOMO.
Returning for it’s third year running, the ever-expanding dance festival is bringing Kaytranada, ZHU, Post Malone, SZA, Tourist, The Kite String Tangle, Drezo, Stööki Sound, Nina Las Vegas, and Dena Amy together for one day of pure sensory overload next January, all with mastermind RL Grime taking the helm.
The deflation of Future and Stereosonic has left some room to groove in the dance festival sector, and FOMO has responded in sweet delight. Having kicked off in Brisbane last year with some eye-watering acts on the bill, they expanded to Sydney and Adelaide for their sophomore round, and 2018 is their biggest yet with the introduction of FOMO by Night in Melbourne.
If the one day, one stage, no clashes deal doesn’t quite swing it, Sydney and Adelaide punters can also opt for a payment plan to pay off their ticket in installments. There it is; literally no reason not to get in on this red hot action.
Tickets are on sale now and are selling fast. ¡Vamos!
Read our FOMO Adelaide 2017 review!
Top image: Mitch Lowe
It was only so very recently that reports surfaced suggesting that Post Malone had rejected a place amongst 2016’s XXL Freshman List due to his intention to move away from hip-hop and more in the direction of country and rock, genres showcased on Malone’s recent single Go Flex.
Today, however, Post Malone himself has taken to Instagram to respond to the reports, which began in turn as a result of a statement from editor-in-chief of XXL Magazine Vanessa Satton, who herself was responding to criticisms of XXL’s Freshman List failing to include Post Malone. Rejecting the rumours and theories of his departure from the hip-hop genre, Post Malone’s statement instead covered not only the debunking of premature and false rumours regarding his future with hip-hop, but echoed common industry sentiments in rejecting the pigeonholing of genre and artistry.
With this statement, Post Malone has in turn done a considerable service to music and artistry as a whole, exposing the ridiculousness of rigid genre constraints and constructs that formerly abounded music. The idea, of course, that musicians should exist only in one genre is considerably outdated and extraordinarily constrictive with regard to the potential for music as a contemporary artform, and these proposed limitations are in turn destructive to genuine innovation within the same. Vanessa Satton, for her own part, offered a response to Post Malone shortly afterwards which better imitates a deflection of blame while maintaining the idea of genre as a box within which to contain an artist.
It remains to be seen just where Post Malone intends to go from this point moving forward, nonetheless one must respect his ideals of innovation and experimentation with his art. It is so vital for music that attitudes such as this are encouraged and fostered rather than rejected and made mockery of. Ingenuity within music is, after all, the lifeblood that drives the artform forwards.
We see you, Posty!
Image via: Post Malone, Go Flex
In some of the most abrupt news of the week, White Iverson rapper Post Malone is reportedly ditching the grills and braids in favour of a six-string and bootcut jeans. The rapper reportedly declined a spot in the recently-announced 2016 XXL Freshman Class on the grounds that he was moving away from the genre.
“We were told by his camp that he wasn’t paying attention to hip-hop so much, he was going in more of a rock-pop-country direction” said XXL‘s editor in chief Vanessa Satten.
“Once we heard that he wasn’t really acknowledging hip-hop – especially when they were telling us: ‘We’re going in a country direction,’ that’s a message that you don’t really wanna be in the hip-hop world – so we’re just gonna let it go.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLsTskih7_I
Given that the rapper performed a cover of Nirvana’s Lithium in a surprise set at Coachella Festival this year, along with uploading YouTube covers of Bob Dylan and generally other non-rap artists, maybe this wasn’t the most surprising news.
He’s hardly the first to cross genres, and I suppose we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Skrillex was MySpace’s MySpaciest emo kid in From First To Last well before he learnt how to create chaos on his computer. perhaps he could take advice from Taylor Swift, who was a bonafide country music star before she arrived at her pop throne. Jazz bass maestro Thundercat played in Suicidal Tendencies before switching to jazz and hip-hop full time, while The Beastie Boys were similarly a punk band before they turned toward hip-hop.
It’ll be interesting to see if this real or not, and if he finds more happiness and success in the country and rock world.
Image: Forbes
Post Malone – August 26th
White Iverson came out of nowhere last year and firmly positioned Post Malone as one to watch in 2016. The Texan artist is a strange hybrid of rap star and country rocker, with his first full length project, August 26th, a great indication of what to expect from his forthcoming debut album.
If you expected a straight rap album from Malone then you’re in for a big surprise. August 26th fits more into Nostalgia, Ultra or House Of Balloons type territory. That’s not to say Malone sounds anything like Frank Ocean or The Weeknd, but this mixtape is more about his vocal style with a little hip-hop on the side. A huge fan of classic rock and country, Malone wears his influences on his sleeve with the electric guitar-fuelled Oh God, while Hollywood Dreams Come True is an interesting reworking of Fleetwood Mac‘s classic Dreams that should be a disaster but is actually rather great.
The braided vocalist croons his way through opener Never Understand before linking up with 2 Chainz and discussing their lavish lifestyles on Money Made Me Do It. 3There are a number of other guest features too, with Jeremih lending his soulful croon to Fuck and Jaden Smith and Teo popping up on the 1st Down produced Lonely. Malone’s continues his love affair with basketball on the trap styled Monte, also featuring rising rapper Lil Yachty, and 40 Funk, where he compares his high level of drug and alcohol abuse to the feeling of Michael Jordan and Kyrie Irving scoring hoops.
Verdict: One of the year’s best mixtapes.
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Noble Oak – Past Life
Noble Oak is the alter ego of multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Patrick Fiore. The atmospheric dreamworld he creates as Noble Oak has never been more realised than on latest release Past Life.
A collection of swirling electronica driven by nostalgia, Past Life is a project close to Fiore’s heart. The Toronto native described the album as “a collection of snapshots from the last few years before leaving my home town, with unreleased material ranging from 1 to 3 years in age. It predominantly narrates the person I used to be, with references and flavours of my old habits and shortcomings.” After listening to his introspective lyrics regarding change, reflection, growth and human connections, it’s easy to tell Fiore has put his all into Past Life.
The album itself is an even mixture of downtempo synth gems combining Fiore’s falsetto (The Spirit, No Air, Coastline), and searching instrumental numbers showcasing his warm production (Past Life, Perfect Sky). It’s not all brooding electronica though, with the bubbling Moonlight and This Wave moving into dance-pop friendly territory, balancing the highs and lows of Fiore’s musical output.
Verdict: Enchanting and dreamy, Past Life is a must listen.
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The Underachievers – It Happened In Flatbush
Brooklyn favourites The Underachievers delivered their much anticipated It Happened In Flatbush mixtape over the weekend. Their first new release since last year’s sophomore album, Evermore: The Art Of Duality, the duo of AK and Issa Gold drop another entertaining tape instilled with the spirit of old school boom-bap rap.
Regular collaborator Ronny J handles much of the production, crafting menacing beats for AK and Issa Gold to do their thing over. As you’d expect from an Underachievers release, there’s plenty of drug talk on tracks like Young Kobe, Really Got It and the trippy Outsiders, while Al Capone and 40 Cal are psychedelic party starters. This mixtape is full of the energy and enthusiasm the two displayed when on tour earlier this year (read our review here and check out the snaps here), with the Beast Coast movement propelled by the Underachievers, Joey Bada$$ and Flatbush Zombies showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Verdict: For fans of New York rap.
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Image: The Fader
Since bursting onto the scene with White Iverson almost a year ago, Post Malone has fast become one of hip-hop’s rising stars. Collaborations with 50 Cent and Kanye West alongside his recent support spot for Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour, has exposed the Texan to a large audience of people who are most likely not familiar with the cornrowed singer-turned-rapper. Currently preparing the release of his latest mixtape, Malone has shared new single Go Flex, and it’s a beauty.
A gentle acoustic guitar riff kicks things as light percussion adds layers to a track that’s more country than hip-hop, which is no surprise considering Malone cites Johnny Cash as one of his major influences. Malone brings a feel good vibe to the downtempo Go Flex and gets extra points for the wrestling referencing hook, singing, “Man, I just wanna go flex / Gold on my teeth and on my neck / And I’m Stone Cold with the flex / With my squad and I’m smokin’ up a check.”
The track is most likely taken from his forthcoming yet-still untitled mixtape that’s hopefully dropping soon. While there’s no additional information on the track listing or a solid release date, Malone did share the cover art for the mixtape last week that you can check out below.
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Image: HotNewHipHop
The list of special guests at this year’s Coachella Festival was enough to make anyone who missed out an a ticket curl up in a ball and cry, and now it seems those guests have busted out full surprise sets of their own.
No doubt suffering from a major dose of FOMO, New York MC Post Malone wasn’t content with his guest spot with Jack U, in which he strolled onstage to bust out his cult classic White Iverson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLsTskih7_I
A video on Instagram has surfaced showing Malone backed by his band, performing a surprise solo set for festival goers, despite not being officially billed to appear.
If that in itself wasn’t a surprise enough, fans of the rapper will be taken aback to see Malone with guitar in hand, busting out what seems to be a pretty spot on cover of Lithium by (do we even need to say it) grunge pioneers Nirvana.
In the few seconds of footage available, Malone appears to be living out a teenage dream performing the song, with his own voice adding a gravely, murky texture to the song. Check out the footage of the performance below.
Despite the odd choice for his cover, it’s not the first time that Malone has been seen covering a rock song.
Back in 2013, under the name of Austin Richard, Malone donned his American finest for a heartwarming cover of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_NS9Vd1sMA
With a debut mixtape set to drop soon (courtesy of this tweet), in addition to casually claiming the coveted support act slot on Justin Bieber’s American tour, we don’t blame Posty for backing himself to pull off something left of field.
IMAGE: Passion Weiss
Young Thug has been all over the news of late. From calling Rich Homie Quan out over homophobic comments, to demanding custody of his, erm, 11 children, to beefs with Lil Wayne and beyond, it often feels like the talented artist is keeping himself in the news for any damn reason, musical or not. But considering he’s on one of our favourite albums and singles of the year, we’re particularly excited about the news that he’s just announced a series of collaborative mixtapes.
Sure, we haven’t actually received a full debut album from Young Thug just yet, but that’s not to say we haven’t received a huge amount of Thugger music in 2015, including massive leaks, Barter 6, and plenty of collaborations. In a new interview with French publication Mon Entourage, Thug has now announced three exciting upcoming collaborative mixtapes – that will hopefully see the light of day in 2016, with Post Malone, Fetty Wap and Migos. The direct quote, is, “I’m bringing out a mixtape with The Migos, I’m bringing out a mixtape with Fetty Wap, and I’m bringing out a mixtape with Post Malone. All of them are done, it’s probably just like four songs left on one of them. But all of them are done. So there’s like 50 more songs.”
The 22-minute interview sheds light on a side to Thug that we don’t usually see, as he’s notoriously quite closed off on interviews. Speaking about his troubled upbringing and the music he grew up on, and the journey to where he is now.