Alison Wonderland graced us with yet another performance to remember at Thebarton Theatre on Friday night, with Adelaide’s leg of the highly anticipated Awake tour, celebrating her sophomore album. Since the success of her debut album Run in 2015, Wonderland fans have been patiently awaiting the release of her next magical creation, which was given to us in April of this year.
To help the Sydney producer/singer/songwriter/cellist celebrate, she was joined by support acts HI LIFE and Manu Crooks. The crowd took a while to warm up, appearing to want to save most of their energy for the main act, which they went completely wild for.
While the show was focused on her new album, she didn’t forget to grace us with some old favourites, including smash hits, I want U and U don’t know. Known for her diverse taste in music, she mixed a wide variety of artists through her own songs including: Post Malone, Flux Pavilion, Fatboy Slim, and even a bit of Rage Against the Machine for her punk fans.
Alison Wonderland has the ability to draw out emotional unity at her performances, making sure to dedicate certain songs to anyone suffering from anxiety and depression. Speaking to Triple J earlier this year, Wonderland said the new album is about “waking up and realising you can get out of something bad”. Vocal about her own battles with mental health, she always makes sure to speak to the crowd after every few songs encouraging them to seek help, lean on their friends and find meaning in whatever makes them happy.
Needless to say, the crowd was wildly thrilled to experience the new album live, with tracks such as Church, Good Enough, Awake, and Cry getting patrons bouncing off the walls and the floor soaked in whatever drinks they were holding. Noted for being nervous about the release of a second album and the pressure for it to be as well received as the first, she said, “You’re always worried about the sophomore, the spooky follow-up – you’re worried if you’re making the right sounds and styles. I eventually got to a point where I just stopped caring and rode my natural high”.
Judging by the ecstatic response of Adelaide’s crowd, going with her gut was the best decision she could have made for the production of this album. While AW’s career may seem like it has only just started, it’s absolutely skyrocketing and we hope we’re in for a long ride.
Words by Christie Thompson
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