Let me just start this article off by getting the obvious out of the way – I love Porter Robinson. I first discovered his music in 2016 after seeing a reaction video to Shelter and was immediately hooked on his unique approach to electronic music. Soon after this, I fell into the world of electronic music in mid 2017 thanks to a community of people posting AMV’s, remixes and mashups of Porter’s songs. This brought me in even more. Since then, I have listened to all his releases, loving each one for its own reasons. Hell, I loved his 2021 album ‘Nurture’ so much I even got it tattooed on my leg.
Anyways, on with the story. I bought tickets for this even on Ticketmaster for around £40 making this the best value show I have ever been to. I arrived at the O2 Academy in Brixton and after waiting in a long queue, was allowed into the venue. I grabbed a beer from the bar and went inside to the main stage. The venue had a standing area where you could get right up to the stage or it had rows of seating higher up. It was on a first come – first serve basis and so I headed in earlier than needed to get as close to the stage as possible.
The Opening Act – Underscores
Up first – the opening act. Underscores. A relatively new musician who has put out a few albums. I’ll be honest, up until this point I had never heard of her but that is purely because she slipped under my radar. Now aware of her music, I can confirm its very good and she has found her footing in recent months.
Whilst some of her earlier tracks in the setlist just weren’t for me, one of them I really liked with that being her track ‘Locals (Girls like us) [with gabby start]’. This track had really cool production and to top it off, even more amazing visuals that accompanied the music. Listen to the track on Spotify below and support Underscores.
It was so good in fact that somebody was using their Nintendo 3DS to record her opening act. Valid.
The Main Event – Porter Robinson
After Underscores thanked the audience and took her leave, Porter ran on stage leaving us all shaking with excitement. The real Porter Robinson who I have been listening to since I was thirteen is now 20 foot from me. This was special to me. The show was broken down into three separate parts, showcasing the very best of his projects across his discography. His latest album, 2024’s SMILE:D was up first.
SMILE:D Era – 2024
Much like the album, Porter began the show with the first track on SMILE:D ‘Knock Yourself Out XD’ – a nice gentle way to ease into the show with a fun song that everyone would know. Towards the end of the song, just before the final chorus, a countdown began and on the drop, thousands of paper confetti hards scattered out of cannons, littering us in the audience – I caught a heart and have kept it in my wallet since.
The SMILE:D part of the show continued with highlights from the album including ‘Perfect Pinterest Garden’, ‘Kitsune Maison Freestyle’, ‘Year of the Cup’ and the gorgeous yet touching ‘Easier To Love You’ and ‘Russian Roulette’. It was everything SMILE:D was multiplied by 10. The music was loud, in your face and reminiscent of the vibe he was trying to create on the album – it echoed of 2005 MySpace.
Nurture Era – 2020 – 2022
The second act focused on Porter’s 2021 album ‘Nurure’ – my personal favourite. I always loved how Porter goes about creating a project. A lot of artists slap 10 or 12 songs on a plastic disc and release it but Porter meticulously curates his work, ensuring that everything follows a theme. For Nurture, that theme is bright, hopeful, digital bliss and about overcoming struggles and finding the beauty in life again. Something that really resonated with me in 2020 and 2021.
Porter opened the Nurture part of the show with ‘Wind Tempos’, an ambient electronic track featuring soft VST piano plugins, female vocal samples and the incredible visuals combining digital art with themes of nature. Listen to the track on Spotify below.
It’s worth noting that Porter was not alone on this tour. He brought along a band that really emphasised the beauty of this work and it was especially noticeable on Nurture. Specifically, the guest vocals from singer Margo Liotta really added depth to some of the tracks.
The show went on with more familiar Nurture anthems such as ‘Something Comforting’, ‘Look At The Sky’ and a new rendition of ‘Get Your Wish’ that featured a guitar opening that sounded like something out of an Anime opening. Amazing.
Seeing this album live really ment a lot to me. Nurture had gotten me through hard times and I felt like I could relate to Porter on the themes he talks about on the record. Hearing the soft melodies combined with the visuals really cemented the meaning of this album for me. My favourite moment from the whole show had to be the live version of ‘Unfold’. An incredible track made even better by the live band and Liotta’s striking vocals. At the drop, lights flickered into the crowd as an erratic drum beat pulsed in everyone’s chest. This is how you do a live show.
Worlds Era – 2012 – 2016
The show had entered its third and final stage – this is where Porter paid homage to the work that laid the foundation of his signature style and career. Gone was the giant blow up fox that was there for the SMILE:D era, the soft pianos from Nurture replaced by modulated synths and the visuals changing from images of nature to images of escapism. This was Worlds in all its live glory.
The soft hazy synths of ‘Divinity’ began to play, the visuals depicting the iconic 【=◈︿◈=】kaomoji, the audience (including me), absolutely loved it. Porter then transitioned into another one of his most infamous yet newly released songs from the Worlds era – ‘Hollowheart’. This was a track that was supposed to be on the album, but was submitted too late. Porter released this track on the 10th anniversary of Worlds release. Hearing this live with the amazing vocals of Liotta provided a clear reminder of why Worlds was and still is to this day one of the most amazing examples of electronic music.
The show carried on showcasing the very best of Worlds, songs like ‘Sad Machine’, ‘Language’ and ‘Goodbye To A World’ were incredible to experience live. Sadly, I had to get the train back home and at this point, it was already nearly 11:30 and so I had to leave mid way through meaning I missed out on both ‘Shelter’ and ‘Cheerleader’ – regardless, it was the best live show I have ever been to.
Thank you Porter.