Live Review: Amy Shark at the RAC Arena 2022
Words by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
“I was cheated on, and at that time I put eighty percent of the blame on the girl who cheated on me with. And just quicky on that, good luck on cheating on me now, like I’d destroy you in every song for the rest of my life. Anyhow, I form this weird obsession, like I want to know where she lives, where she works, what music she likes…and it wasn’t until my friend who sat me down, and said, ‘Hey Amy, it takes two to tango you know, is not like he ran and tripped and accidently fell inside of her.’ And I’m like, ‘No – that’s EXACTLY what I think it happened.’ Anyway, I came a long way Perth….and I’m a lot stronger now, and if that girl happens to be here tonight, I just want you to know…I still FUCKING hate you…”
Drenched in poignancy and melancholy while spewing a concoction of emotional undulation to the compunctious sinners and broken souls across Australia, The Cry Forever Tour of 2022 – which takes after the name of her latest album – is about to propel Perth into the autobiographical journey of Amy Shark. Being an eight-time ARIA award winning artist (from twenty-nine nominations) across two albums, Shark is one of the most renowned Australian artists to maraud the stage of the iconic RAC Arena in recent times.
So, as the lights dimmed into deep blue and spooking up the stage into a haunting rendition of a shadowy forest at midnight, the rambunctious roar from the near capacity crowd was ready to spark the Shark feeding frenzy.
“Ending the tour in Perth for me is like the best day of my life…”
Shark graced the stage with The Wolves, followed by the smash hit Everybody Rise – which was surprisingly early in the setlist. But such is the musical depth (despite releasing two albums to date) that she was able to sustain the unbridled revelry throughout the night. The track from her debut album Love Monster – which skyrocketed to Number 1 on the ARIA Charts in July 2018 – is “a commentary on worship culture, how we create idols on social media while losing track of the humanity right in front of us”. And with the stellar performance that usually comes with a Sony signed artist, the seductive infestation of the virtual world was dismantled for the next one and a half hours as the baby Sharks embraced the cart of emotions.
Given the likes of The Worst Day of my Life, You’ll Never Meet Anyone Like Me Again, Lonely Still, Psycho, That Girl and other bleak, cut-to-the-chase, f*ck the world song titles with thematically wrenched lyrics, Shark’s stage presence was ironically animated, while oozing a zestful recovery, with steps springing on those street savvy attitude…thereby punching the swagger of a west side rapper, all through the culmination of that je ne sais quoi that is every bit Amy Shark – and of course, the irresistible, resounding vocals to match. Halfway through the set, fans were on their feet, dancing like it’s pre-2020. When Shark covered The Killer’s Mr. Brightside, the concert became the biggest karaoke fest in the southern hemisphere, followed by phones lighting the arena like the preying of a thousand eyes. It was a moment of consolidation and a reminder on the beautiful world of live music.
There were times when Shark spelled out the underlying inspiration of her songs; she was the narrator, actor and a warrior of a real-life dose. And this was expected as she once said that her second album Forever Cry exudes the loneliness and self-identity crisis that enshrouds the bleak chapters of her story. For the song writers, authors and artists in the audience, the percolated stories were a treat from the candid transpiration of her life experience to the manifestation of the lyrics. And being one of the best song writers in recent years, she grappled the fans to every word that comes with her thought process. And that is Amy Shark; a story-teller with the musicianship of an artist for the ages.
The Tour may be over with smash hit and fan favourite I Said Hi, but Amy is not about to say goodbye. Despite performing in major arenas across Australia, Shark is about to embark on a 65-town tour across Australia, from Geraldton to Mandurah to Esperance – and that’s just in WA! Click here for information and tickets to relive the nostalgia.
The writer would like to thank team Amy Shark – Sony Music Australia, On the Map PR (Nadia, Fiona and Emily) and TEG for the wonderful opportunity to review and photograph Amy Shark
About the Writer: Sheldon Ang is the Chief Photographer and Principal Writer of Sheldon Ang Media and Around the Sound (which has been deleted from Cyberspace!). He’s also an Engineer in real life.
