Ninajirachi
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Friday, July 3rd
Fresh off a career-defining 12 months, which included the release of the acclaimed debut album I Love My Computer and some celebrated appearances at Coachella, Ninajirachi was rapturously received by the sold-out crowd at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Friday night.
After a few minutes of drones and glitchy sound effects (which sounded like they could have come right off the mid-00s Pokémon games that her stage name is a nod to), the NSW Central Coast bedroom producer-turned-superstar took to the stage with “London Song”.
What followed was a 90-minute mix of relentlessly high-octane EDM that kept the crowd in a frenzy; the dance floor, made up almost entirely of Gen Zers, was a mass of jumping and shape-cutting, which extended from the barricade all the way back to the foyer bar.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
I Love My Computer was well represented, with excerpts of most songs featuring; particular highlights included the anthemic “It’s You” – featuring the live appearance of co-writer (and support act) daine – and the cinematic “All I Am”.
The evening also featured the airing of some new material, including yet another track written alongside her now-frequent collaborator Porter Robinson, which fitted seamlessly into the mix.
However, this show was always building to the climax of “iPod Touch” and “I Wanna Fuck My Computer”, an unbeatable one-two punch which brought the main set to a close.
Returning for a quick encore of a mix-up of samples from across her catalogue, it was clear that, despite her recent international successes, this local milestone was a special point in her career.
“I had my first live music experience in this room (at a Porter Robinson show)”, she said, adding at the end that this was her “first hometown show… since my life changed”.
She also took time to thank her crew – and while this may be a foregone conclusion for most artists, it was thoroughly deserved, with her team pulling out all the stops. The stage set was stunning: an enormous LED screen that displayed a combination of 00’s Windows graphics, lo-fi visuals, and an occasional onstage live video feed, as well as LED-lit cables and a futuristic light show all combined for a world-class live production.
Australia already has a proud tradition of punching well above its weight when it comes to dance music – but based on this show, we might now have a talisman to which the rest of the world will be playing catch-up.
