Chet Faker & Hermitude

By Christina Croucher

Artist:  Hermitude / Chet Faker

Date / Venue:  Saturday February 22nd, The Powerstation, Auckland

Hermitude and Chet Faker had the Powerstation on fire last night, as Auckland proved to have a massive fan base for the Australian hip hop electronic duo and soulful electronic artist.

Chet Faker pulled in a massive crowd; singing over contagious beats with his well-known emotional tone that has been featured on many well-known tracks including Left Alone and Drop The Game (Flume). The audience were stoked when he played his famous sultry remake of No Diggity. His vocals were a bit lost under the sound at first but must have been turned up because by the middle of the set you could thankfully hear him a lot more. His sound is seamless, smooth and hypnotising; his soulful vocals layered over solid beats makes him a great act to either dance or chill to.

Australian-made Hermitude played after and pumped up the night to a new level. The high energy performance from the duo was faultless; those guys know how to get a crowd going. The tracks were seamlessly blended and the flow of their set was perfect for a non-stop dance. They gave a lot to the crowd and the place was buzzing with a great energy. They played originals, mixes of well-known songs including Flume's Holdin On and Hyper Paradise and some old Charleston numbers. They also mixed up what could have been cheesy remakes of classics (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) but it was really fun because everyone was feeling it. Their intricate electronic set up made for tight beats, the lighting and the photographic art behind them on the stage screen all tied in to execute a brilliant show.

The two artists playing consecutively made for an outstanding night that no one wanted to end. Hermitude played an insane encore to the hyped up crowd who were pretty much in the air. It was an awesome party and one of the best dance gigs I've been to in Auckland. Amazing performances, don't miss out on seeing these acts live if you get the chance; an all-round ten!