Cashmere Cat @ Metro Theatre, Sydney

Cashmere Cat kicked off the first leg of his Australian Tour, playing to a rambunctious Thursday night crowd at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. Touring his ‘9’ Album, playing a mix of festivals and capital cities, the Norwegian producer Magnus August Høiberg, had just gotten off the plane, yet showed no signs of jet lag as he proceeded to rinse the crowd with an eclectic set of bass bangers, hard techno, and hip hop re-edits.

He had a high standard to set, as the last time I saw Cashmere Cat, it a was on the rooftop the MCA on Sydney Harbour. And what this show lacked in harbour views (potted plants adorning the stage aside), it made up for in production quality, diversity, and flow. You can see that not only has he been working with some major artists in the studio (the likes of The Weeknd, Kanye West, Sinjin Hawke, Selena Gomez, MØ, and SOPHIE) he has been working hard on his show to create a balance between old work and new tracks.

Opening with “9” (after Coachella), with some hard techno re-edits thrown in, immediate reminded the crowd that he is an absolute master of mixing and cutting between ethereal, light beats, and hard bass and trap underlays. The live versions of songs get extended, with loops plus effects on mixers creating so much more mood than the album versions are able to.

The set flipped between seamless mixes between songs, hard transitions, and standalone songs. You had no idea what was going to be thrown at you next. One moment, Wild Love, then darkness and silence, then hard tech beats with strobes pulsating. Høiberg is a gun at bass trap, with the transitions of levels from live mixing leaving you tangled and sweaty.

As with any artist who is growing and progressing, you still want to hear the tracks that made you fall in love with them. And Cashmere Cat did not do his back catalogue injustice. Dropping 2014 track ‘With Me’ from his “Wedding Bells EP” (I’ve got goose bumps right now just reliving it) and ‘Mirror Maru’ from his 2013 EP “Mirror Maru” (double goosebumps) really reminded you how far he has come an as artist. These are still a couple of my favourite tracks, and the live versions get extended, built up, looped, and then dropped heavily.

Høiberg is an engaging performer to watch and an area that had changed since I last saw him perform. He has sass (in the nicest possible version) written all over him. From ripping off headsets, to sanding on deck table filming the crowd, to chilling sitting next to the decks while that song plays and sending the video, to mixing in the beat pad with his elbow or cap, you don’t want to look away for too long. Hot tip, if you need some plants this week, don’t bother heading to Bunnings, with Høiberg handing out the pot plants that decorated the decks, speakers, and stage to sweat drenched front rowers.

After an hour of getting our socks blown off, Høiberg put on his jacket menacingly, and played his last song ‘Love Incredible’, with some massive scratches to bookend the show. He wasn’t done yet, listening to the crowd baying for an encore, came back on stage, and scratched into dropping his Ryn Weaver “OctaHate” Remix, which was an awesome set choice and an absolute banger. I knew he had one more beat in him, but I wasn’t prepared for a re-edit of ‘My Boo’ by Usher & Alicia Keys, which brought out all sorts of feels. This was the purfect ending, a love in song, a plant handout, and a slow strut off stage.

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Just three Australian shows left in Melbourne, Adelaide & Canberra – click the artwork for more details

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author: Anthony Glanville