Hiatus Kaiyote will take the stage at the Enmore Theatre tonight, and the air is thick with anticipation as they’ve recently released their new album ‘Love Heart Cheat Code’, which dropped this past June.
First up is Gut Health the dance-punk outfit who are firm favourites at Backseat Mafia. The band recently dropped ‘Stiletto’ of which our reviewer Jess Hutton wrote, ‘Stiletto’ unfolds like a sprawling film score, constantly shifting and twisting, never settling in one place for too long. Tonight Gut Health stun the crowd with their raw, unfiltered energy, a collision of punk, post-punk, and experimental noise that electrifies the room. The Enmore pulses with each chaotic riff and thrashing beat, vocalist Athina Uh Oh commands attention, vocals cutting through the noise with a fierce intensity. Her vocals recall the ferocity and whoops of Poly Styrene, but with a distinctly modern twist.
When Hiatus Kaiyote take the stage, they are all fluid movement and effortless cool—Naomi “Nai Palm” Saalfield at the helm, commanding the room with a voice that feels like it’s lived lifetimes. Paul Bender, Simon Mavin, and Perrin Moss weave around her, creating a rhythm that’s part heartbeat, part incantation. This is a band that has never been about just playing music—they create worlds. A figure in a love heart suit—who I’d seen walking around Enmore earlier in the evening—appears on stage, suddenly part of the spectacle, swaying in sync with Saalfield, as if drawn in by some invisible current. It’s absurd and magical, the kind of moment that only happens in the transient spaces between song and sensation.
Upstairs, I spot a girl dressed all in white, her body moving like a slow-motion echo of the music. She’s swaying, untethered, eyes closed, completely surrendered to the soundscape. Hiatus Kaiyote has that effect—their music possesses you, leaving you both disoriented and completely at home in the moment.
Love Heart Cheat Code Australian Tour
Tickets HERE.
Saturday 21st September – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
Friday 27th September – Astor Theatre, Perth
Saturday 28th September – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide
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