Concert Review: SCARLXRD Live In Auckland

LRM_EXPORT_12747422865564_20181206_102305214 When I arrived to The Powerstation I didn’t know what to expect. How many people knew who he was? Will many people come out on a Wednesday night for this? Well I soon got my answer.

I arrived about 20 minutes before Scarlxrd was due to take the stage. Scarlxrd’s own DJ/Hype Man Jacky P (Jack Parker) was getting the crowd warmed up. But I don’t think they needed it to be honest. The crowd may have only had 100 – 200 people. But that mosh pit was crazy. Jack played a mix of old and new hip-hop/rap tracks. But I have to say I was more excited when he acknowledged the metal side and played the likes of Slipknot, classic Bring Me The Horizon and also System of a Down. You would have thought he should have been in the crowd when you saw how hard he went to each track he played. There’s no mistaking he knows what he’s doing.

But as the lights went low Scarlxrd took the stage. The lights hiked up and they got straight into it. It was really crazy how intense this little crowd was. I think those under 18’s upstairs really wanted to come down and be a part of it, with Scarlxrd saying they looked like “caged animals”. But he also encouraged someone to jump which probably wasn’t the best idea with a small crowd below. I admired the fact that he checked in on them throughout the night, he even climbed the speaker to get closer to them. Jacky P did the same and ran around the top there with them before climbing back down. A bit further into the set I realised how much these fans appreciated Scarlxrd with one of the fans having an album of his tattooed on his chest. “I’m with you forever”. Scarlxrd’s music could be described as rap/hip-hop & metal and I didn’t really know how that would translate through the crowd but there were people moshing, creating circle pits, jumping and the odd person got on stage and jumped off (1 did have to be pushed by the man himself).

Though the travel was clearly getting to him a bit as he kept letting the crowd know throughout the night that he “wants to vomit” and if he does just to carrying on going hard. He was feeling the energy. It was coming to the end of the end of the set so rather than just stick to what he possibly planned he got the crowd to throw their suggestions. And he followed through.

One girl even got so excited she through her crop top on stage which Jacky P then put on. He actually suited it. Before Scarlxrd took the stage, he let the intimate crowd know how much he appreciated them, calling them “my family” and that he “wants to see them all again when he comes back”. “Good night. God bless. One love”. I only knew the song Heart Attack and I have to say it went off!

He is currently in Australia playing the new Good Things Festival and doing his own sideshows. If you’ve been on the fence about seeing him or you’re thinking about it, I highly recommend it!