It’s 9pm on an otherwise unremarkable Tuesday, and the foyer of the Sydney Opera House is a crush of slightly smug excitement. Friends run to each other and whoop, then fall into selfie formation. Outside under the famous sails, groups vape in anticipation while cradling three cans apiece. Inside the moodily smoke-filled Concert Hall, a simple test of a lighting cue is met by a headliner-worthy cheer. On the same day that Taylor Swift left town, UK producer and DJ Fred Again has arrived to keep the hype alive.
All this escalated quickly, just as its mastermind intended. The musician born Frederick Gibson surprised fans on Tuesday morning by announcing a one-off Opera House show via Instagram Stories. After blowing up during Covid lockdown, Fred Again has become a savvy operator of social media, where his earnest, perpetually awed persona gives no clue to the major-label machine powering behind him. A staggering total of 125,000 fans immediately flooded the online queue for that same night’s performance, for a venue that holds 2,250 – making it the largest on-sale demand in the history of the Concert Hall. No one could accuse Fred Again of failing to capitalise on his moment: this review coincides with the announcement he will be touring Australia in March.
