The “Princess of Brisbane’s” homecoming show: Mallrat live review
- Hope Morgan
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By: Hope Morgan
“A Friday night in Brisbane and keen fans gathered in the Fortitude Music Hall to see their very own electronic indie pop princess, Mallrat, on the second night of her sophomore album tour. Some fans had waited in line all day to secure the front row, hands gripping tightly to the barricade while they waited for the show to start.
Melbourne-based DJ Prophecy Girl started the night with an energetic set, remixing songs from the likes of Charli XCX, Lorde, Chappell Roan and even Ethel Cain. Their energy was absolutely electric, demanding the crowd's attention with their dance moves behind the decks.
Queensland born DJ Denim was the second opener, and radiated massive cool girl energy in her sunglasses and Mallrat merch. She remixed popular dance and techno songs as well as playing some of originals like her new single “NIKE STORE,” an aggressively Australian club track that’s been stuck in my head since I heard it.
As the venue began to fill, the final opener, Daine, took the stage with their band, delivering a set of original pop music with heavy hardcore and metal influence. The set was super unique and I really enjoyed one of their new releases, “i want the light to swallow me whole”, which had an indie pop/rock feel, but incorporated metal style screams.
Then, the lights dimmed and three white beams of light scanned the audience, anticipation building. After much suspense the band entered, and finally, to the crowd's cheers and in a haze of smoke, Mallrat ran out onto the stage.
Bathed in shadow, only her unmistakable silhouette was visible; chunky boots, mini skirt, and a fur tail clipped at her side, opening with the track “My Darling My Angel” from her new album The Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right, which was released earlier this year.
The lights changed so we could see her face, and the opening bars to “Pavement” began, a single from the album that samples DJ Zirk’s “Born 2 Lose” and fellow Brisbane pop group Cub Sport’s “Beg U.” The euphoric dance track was one of my favourites of the night, and Mallrat’s energy lit up the stage as she spun around, completely in her element.
It’s so enjoyable to watch someone who clearly enjoys the music they make, and it's obvious Mallrat loves what she does. The way she moves on stage is completely infectious and I couldn’t help but dance along. You can tell she’s proud of every track, and is so excited to be able to share her art with an audience.
After “Pavement” Mallrat took a moment to address the crowd, declaring that “It’s good to be home.” She described her day in Brisbane, getting coffee in West End and Thai for breakfast.
We then got to hear some tracks from her debut album Butterfly Blue including “Surprise Me,” Mallrat’s collaboration with American rapper Azealia Banks. This was definitely a crowd favourite, many fans singing all the words to Azealia’s rap while Mallrat bounced around on stage, radiating pure excitement..
Then it was back to songs from her latest album including “Hocus Pocus” a collaboration with producer and DJ “Kito.” I was lucky enough to hear a first play of this track at music festival Bigsound in September during Kito’s DJ set last year and it was awesome to be able to see it live post-release with a crowd singing along.
Going back to some older music, Mallrat then played “Groceries” from her 2018 EP In The Sky and 2021 release “R U High” which both definitely had the biggest crowd response of the night. Mallrat held out the microphone, smiling while the crowd belted every word to the bridge of “Groceries.”
Mallrat took a step back from the upbeat dance tracks to perform “Horses,” the emotional final song of The Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right, written about her sister who passed away in 2024. The lyrics contain heavy imagery of Brisbane, as Mallrat describes growing up with her sister, catching the train from Eagle Junction Station, visiting the horse races and experiencing Queensland’s early 2000’s drought, to then watching the Brisbane river flood in 2011. This song was such an incredibly special moment to experience, and Mallrat put her hand to her heart as the crowd sang the repeated outro “Can somebody let me out of myself?” As the final chords of the song played, I found myself wiping tears from my eyes. It’s a moment that will stay with me for a long time, and I can only imagine it’s the same for Mallrat.
She then moved on to play “Rockstar,” from Butterfly Blue before leaving the stage and leaving the crowd eagerly waiting for an encore.
The three song encore was a perfect finish to the show, featuring “Virtue,” another slower song, “Charlie,” a fan favourite from 2019 EP Driving Music, and finishing with a final dance track from the new album “Hideaway,” leaving us with the lyrics “Dance until the night’s the morning.”
Mallrat’s infectious energy didn’t miss a beat, from the first note of 'My Darling My Angel' to her final wave to her hometown crowd before skipping off stage. She truly possesses that pop star quality, and I’m excited to see the Princess of Brisbane do even bigger and better things.