© Lauren Baxter 2021.
There’s a line outside The Tivoli on a balmy Saturday night and it looks like most of Brisbane’s creative scene has turned out for an injection of psychedelic rock courtesy of Unknown Mortal Orchestra as part of the 2018 Brisbane Festival program.
Frontman Ruban Nielson wastes no time in asserting his presence as he shreds into a solo during set opener From The Sun and launches into the crowd, illuminated by a crew member wielding a lightsaber. Hey mate, get back on stage – don’t you have a show to do?
What follows is an onslaught of fuzzy guitar goodness and trademark bittersweet sentiment, encouraging us all to colour outside the lines. The stage itself is decked out in tumbling ferns flowing from LED lighting strung from the rafters. There’s a nice cross-section of the old and the new and as a tray of drinks is brought onto the stage mid-set with what looks to be tequila shots, it’s clear we are all here to have a good time.
An early showing of Ffunny Ffrends sees the first mass singalong before So Good At Being In Trouble has the couples littering the crowd holding onto each other tight and swaying to the irony that they are “So bad at being in love”.
The set’s closer of Multi-Love can only be described as a religious experience as the gospel-esque chords ring through the venue and we all lift our arms to the heavens – polyamorous love our salvation.
Back on stage for an encore, Hunnybee’s sweet grooves drip with nectar before two restarts in Can’t Keep Checking My Phone has Neilson asking himself, “What the fuck is going on?”
“Is this okay? Did I totally fuck this up?” he sheepishly asks the crowd. Sending a whole lot of love back to the stage, Neilson is requited. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” he tells us.
Oh Unknown Mortal Orchestra, we are more than happy.
Original article: Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ The Tivoli