Review: Genesis Owusu @ Thebarton theatre 23/05/26
Touring his new album REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, Genesis Owusu brought the heat with a mesmerising performance that had Thebby heaving.
Words Brad Pine // Images Jaydon Ford
Genesis Owusu w/The Empty Threats @ Thebarton theatre 23/05/26
With a third album now out in the world, Genesis Owusu is ready to take his place as one of the best Australian acts of the 2020s. With his first two albums, Smiling With No Teeth (2021) and STRUGGLER (2023), both winning the ARIA for Album of the Year, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, his just-released third LP, could cement Owusu in ARIA music history. But that is not his driving force – Owusu wants to create music that makes his audience dance as well as think. That notion was definitely on display Saturday night.
As we waited outside the Thebarton Theatre, the faint sounds of a sound check permeated through the confines of the theatre. With the anticipation swelling, the patrons swarmed the merch desk to adorn themselves in new gear for the tour. As this was an all-ages gig, the gamut of ages showed the appeal that Owusu’s music has. The main space filled slowly, readying for the support act, local rockers The Empty Threats.
One of the most startling entrances for a while, lead singer of The Empty Threats, Stu Patterson, arrived with a black rubber mask covering their head with what seemed to be inflated black horns attached. Their amplified clarinet in tow, Patterson led the band into their opening number, sharing the vocals with Grace Vandals.
Patterson’s mask did not last long, nor did their hoodie, as they invaded the audience for the first time. The crowd became more curious, with people venturing from the back to get to the front and check out The Empty Threats’ mesmerising vocalist.
“Love those around you, no matter what,” Patterson mentioned before blasting into ‘Boys In The Gutter.’ Patterson then climbed to the top of one of the speakers, instructing those below before falling onto them, crowd surfing and singing their way to the end of their set. A prime example of how to get the vibes pumping for the main act.
After a brief false start of the house lights dimming fifteen minutes early, the stage became engulfed in red lighting. As the album opener, it was only fitting for ‘PIRATE RADIO’ to be the first to hit our ears. The band were decked in all white, whilst Owusu arrived in a dark military-esque uniform and ignited the rave energy immediately. With ‘STAMPEDE’ close behind, the crowd was in full dance mode, ready to be instructed through Owusu’s music.
“This is a congregation of sound…of truth telling…rage and love and everything in between,” Redstar Wu informed us all. He also mentioned that it will be “sexy and funky”, which was evident straight away. “HELLSTAR” and “Waitin’ On Ya” perfectly fit the brief, showing that Owusu can be as sensual and smooth as Prince amongst the other genres he touches.
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The interludes in between some songs came with pirate radio announcements, which I wished were used more. It reminded me of Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s radio soundtracks. Musically, a snippet covering Vanessa Carlton’s ‘1000 Miles’ was a perfect example of what could be done more with this concept. Owusu and his band, covering snippets and blending them with his own tracks, would be interesting to watch.
Back on his own music, ‘BLESSED ARE THE MEEK’ had the intoxicating refrain, “It ain't the time to hide my brother / It's time to be a man.” Counterpointed with an interlude having us shouting “Right now!” back at Owusu demonstrated once again the eclecticism of his music.
Rapping like Young Fathers or Tyler, The Creator before pivoting to more soulful moments – there was no signpost to direct us where Owusu would take us next. This was never more evident than during ‘4LIFE’ when Owusu entered the crowd and got us all to kneel in a spiritual moment that could not be matched in any live performance.
Once again, the pivot to another genre occurred with fan favourite ‘DEATH CULT ZOMBIE’ and ‘LIFE KEEPS GOING’. The punk influence shone during this section, with Owusu going shirtless and pumping the energy back up again. Speaking of fan favourites, a rather famous fried chicken company has one of Owusu’s songs in their ads, so it was only fitting to have a version played for us. However, it was infused with drum ‘n’ bass DNA alongside ‘BIG DOG’, with a lucky audience member pulled on stage, immediately doing backflips. A slight shock to Owusu, but it added to the theatrics of the night.
Owusu introduced the members of the band and told the crowd, “Thank you for coming on the roller coaster with me” – he was generally amazed by how quickly people had embraced the new album. The closing songs, ‘A Song About Fishing’ and ‘Leaving The Light’, had the crowd enthralled – the former had us reaching and swaying, and the latter zapping our last bit of energy.
No matter what persona Owusu takes on for his next foray, we will be here to follow him. Looking again at the demographic in the crowd, his ability to connect with all people shows that his name will be spoken about for a long time. The moments of spiritualism and soul were counterpointed with intense raving, combining for an ultimate experience. Owusu has moved past being a “STRUGGLER “and is someone to take note of. Long live the Redstar Wu.
Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.
