LIVE REVIEW: Didirri – The Brightside

It’s rare that you find an artist early on in their career who know their sound so articulately but Melbourne singer-songwriter Didirri has absolutely nailed it. Since he began releasing music in 2016 he has continually delivered impressive and polished indie-pop meets folk tracks that serve high key emotion and a whole lot of mood. To celebrate the release of his new single “Formaldehyde” Didirri has hit the road for a massive national tour that sees him bringing his unique and intimate storytelling to life. Walking out on stage to a packed Brisbane crowd at The Brightside he launched straight into the raw “Breathe” which perfectly set the tone for the special show. With only 4 songs officially released on Spotify and Apple Music I was interested to see how he would keep his crowds interested with mostly unreleased material but he did it so effortlessly and successfully. In between songs he explained to the crowd what the next track was about and instead of giving the same old explanations he switched it up by telling hilariously honest and random anecdotes before giving the emotional truth. This showed the crowd a different side to his personality that doesn’t get to shine through on his music because of his emotional and raw delivery. Some of these stories included girls who make Magpie sounds better than actual Magpies and a mans simple dislike for going to the the hairdressers. “Randy Scouse Git” was a early fan favourite before “Blind You” and “Formaldehyde” created nice singalong moments mid set. Before “Blind You” he explained how earlier in the night he was in the bathroom and some fan walked into the urinal and started singing the song without recognising that he was standing next to Didirri. The crowd had a little laugh as he was explaining this random encounter and he continued to dedicate the song to him which was a little cute. “Blue Mood” heard him stripping it back completely and delivering soulful and raw vocals. But it was “Jude” that was a clear standout in his set with its memorable hook and simple arrangement. He also previewed his upcoming single which is going to be a BIG track for him, so stay tuned for that heartbreaker. His hour set quickly came to an end and he successfully captivated the crowd for the full duration with his emotional tracks and intriguing anecdotes. Didirri is a name you don’t want to forget and with a bunch of headline shows this month, a coveted spot on the Splendour In The Grass line up as well as joining Vance Joy on tour at the end of the year it’s safe to say it’s going to be hard to not know his name.

Melbourne songstress Batts opened the show with a brief set of emotionally charged tracks that explored insecurities and dark topics through the use of moody hooks and a soulful indie-pop delivery. Usually she is joined on stage with a full live band but for this show she was accompanied with only a guitar and still managed to deliver a unique and special set. However the crowd was a little disrespectful and continually spoke over her while she was performing which resulted in her giving a little sassy remark which was totally necessary. Highlights from her set included new single “Shame”, “For Now”, Little White Lies” and the unreleased “Gun”.

Check out the full photo galley from The Raveyard Photography by clicking HERE