After a spectacular 2016, Triple J award winner  D.D Dumbo visited seven Australian venues with hand-picked local support acts to tour his award winning album Utopia Defeated. Backed by popularity, four shows were added to that lineup—and he didn’t let audiences down. Having risen from Castlemaine, 120 kilometres from one of Australia’s largest music scenes, Melbourne, the tour was an ode to his success in the industry.

Beaufort Street’s Astor Theatre was home to D.D Dumbo for his Perth show. On a raised stage and two levels of sitting and standing, a relaxed crowd enjoyed full acoustics and theatre grade lighting. However, there was nothing about Lower Spectrum, his supporting act, to be relaxed about. The Perth based producer psyched up revellers with trance EDM, an obverse act to the classical architecture of the Mount Lawley theatre.

There was a calm excitement in the air going into D.D Dumbo’s set, with a friendly mosh giving people just enough room to bob to world beats and pop blues. Oliver Perry’s animated facial expressions hitting his distinct high end vocals made the live experience. Along with the bloke beside me attempting to hit the same notes without success, but we applauded the punters confidence, perhaps the reason being  that Perry was onstage and he was getting pissed on a Thursday afternoon.

Mid-set Oliver took a minute to thank fans for the support and to shout out the viral video of the Charles Dozsa arrest, the democracy manifest guy. He could hardly control himself when he asked if anyone had seen the “succulent Chinese meal”, but spurred everyone to go home and google it. You won’t be disappointed.

D.D toured with four equally talented musicians by his side, all of whom played an array of instruments to recreate the masterpiece of Utopia Defeated for a live audience. Oliver led the pack with a beautiful red Danelectro 12-string guitar, vocals, recorder, wind chimes, a loop peddle, clarinet, flute and trumpet.

Other instruments shared by members of the live band included keyboard, bass clarinet, drum kit, drum pad, melodica, trumpet and a notable improvised performance on what looked like a thin PVC pipe. The band had perfected their act, especially the use of loop peddle, compared to their Fremantle Laneway show. Months of shows, festivals and travel paid off with a terrific live performance.