Live Review: Cosmo’s Midnight – 20th Feburary 2016 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, Australia
3 min read
Tossing all ‘less is more’ beliefs to the side, Cosmo’s Midnight have made a name for themselves by using perfectly executed layers of bubbly samples and fun pop melodies to prove more really can be more. Their explosive headline show at Oxford Art Factory embodied this, combining the dance-centric forces of the Sidechains DJs, Swindail, and fellow collaborator Kucka for a night of straight up good vibes and continuous local club anthems.
The duo formed roughly three years ago when Sydney twins Cosmo and Patrick Liney ditched their previous interest in hardstyle and opted for a softer, sweeter approach to making music. The boys’ light and radiant sound has seen them collaborate with everyone from Lido to Nicole Millar, and appear at Listen Out, Splendour in the Grass, OutsideIn and more. Cosmo’s Midnight now stands tall amongst a young but extremely talented league of Australian dance music producers receiving international recognition, including Basenji and Wave Racer.
Taking to the stage of your hometown is no easy feat. From having to play for family/friends/colleagues to the eternal fear of if anyone will even come, hometown shows can often be a make or break scenario for artists. This show, however, sold out rapidly and led to some fans even offering three times as much to buy a ticket off someone. So it was no surprise that momentum throughout the night never fell!
Despite the electric crowd screaming the roof off Oxford Art Factory, Cosmo’s Midnight shyly stepped behind the decks, looking in awe of their turnout. The venue had been a sauna for about three hours now, building up to this moment, and there was no room for error in the duo’s set. Within a minute the twins were serving up animated beats reminiscent of video games, against a galactic background.
The next hour was a surreal blur of familiar nightcore sounds (think high pitched vocals with shimmering beats) paired with sporadic bass-heavy drops. The Cosmo’s Midnight spin on Say My Name (Destiny’s Child) went down smoothly and Kucka lent her voice to a bouncy remix of AlunaGeorge’s Superstar.
With only a few songs to go, the pair kicked it into overdrive and pulled out three killer hits in succession. Snare was the first song dropped, easing in with a lush melody and Wild Eyed Boy’s relaxed vocals. Goldlink’s Spectrum was up next, with an added kitschy touch of Cosmo’s Midnight scattered throughout it, which got hearts pumping before arriving at our final destination. Finally, the gorgeous Kucka returned to the stage for Walk With Me – a song begging to be sung along to. Combining funky layers of chiming piano and airy vocals, the pair’s most loved song was received with all the passion in the world, but what more would you expect from a song with almost 900K plays on soundcloud?
Cosmo’s Midnight have been steadily growing in popularity for a while now, and it’s really no surprise why. From the oriental-style floral visuals to their signature cartoon-y sound and perfectly timed drops, everything about the duo is refreshing and straight up fun. Riding off the success of their dazzling EP Moments, we can only expect that by the end of 2016 Cosmo’s Midnight will have even more to offer us.
