Even a clash with The Killers couldn't take the sparkle out of this performance It’s a few moments before Genesis Owusu ’s Mad Cool 2024 set kicks off, and there are only a handful of punters waiting before the stage. Thanks to an unfortunate scheduling clash with The Killers — whose performance is perhaps the weekend’s most anticipated — Owusu’s ‘goon club’ brace themselves for an awkward time as subdued notes of ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ drift from across the festival site. Yet, any fears quickly disappear once Owusu bounds onto the stage, solo and donning a pair of robotic, silver shoulder pads.
Opening with ‘Leaving The Light’, he turns his back on the audience, revealing the quote “I feel alone a lot, but I think we’re all alone together,” inscribed on his white shirt – perhaps a fitting sentiment for this show. “I flew all the way from Australia to come be with you tonight,” says Owusu, who hails from the country’s capital of Canberra. And it does seem like he’s spent a 24-hour flight brewing, amassing greater energy for every inch his plane crawled across the ocean.
Tonight (July 13), his impressive resume as a live performer is on display — he’s previously graced prestigious venues like Berghain, Sydney Opera House and the Enmore Theatre, where the 116-year-old dancefloor collapsed as a result of the intensity conjured during his performance. A post shared by genesis owusu (@genesisowusu) These experiences seem to have culmin.
