JPEGMAFIA [Hiphop]
Event Page: Official | Archive
Date/Time: Fri 2022-07-21 19:30
Venue: Enmore Theatre, Newtown NSW 2042
Links: Spotify | Bandcamp | Setlist
They say you come out as a changed person after attending a Jpegmafia show. Peggy (as known affectionately by his fans) didn't disappoint. The last time he toured in Sydney was in 2019. In post-Covid years, that feels like an eternity. The world, the fans, and Peggy himself have gone through a shitton since 2019. Everyone in that room at the Enmore felt ready to explode together at this shared transformative experience.
As I attend more gigs in Sydney this year, the headline tours have kept getting bigger and the queues longer. Even with the main act's start time of 9:30pm, by 7pm there was a queue spanning much of the street outside the Enmore. I chatted to a lovely young couple who were fans and were seeing Peggy live for the first time. Somehow, as the queue shuffled along, I went through a side entry and got into the main audience area without so much as a ticket check. The show hadn't even begun yet and the chaos was erupting (in a good way).
As I waited in the standing section, I noticed some things that brought a smile to my face. In front of me (almost near the very front) is a fan who is playing Mario Kart on their DS for everyone to see. The crowd cheers as they watch and patiently wait. In the background, the venue is playing some great music. It takes me a while to realise that they're playing full songs of the samples Peggy has used in his music. Clever! I met James, 20, who is working multiple jobs and is working to become a filmmaker. His tattoos really catch my eye and we talk about them for a while.
Buzzy Lee was a really surprising opening act! I felt like they really modulated the energy the crowd had and calmed everyone down as we drowned in the beautiful but sensual guitar and beats. The frontwoman had a good go at doing the Aussie accent. It was lovely to see how supportive the crowd was despite this being such a different vibe to Jpegmafia's music.
Then Peggy came on the stage. The crowd erupted. I could feel the pulse of energy just shockwave through the floor, both on the ground and upstairs. Here are just some of the things I saw and experienced:
Moshing on nearly every track
People losing a shoe
During BALD, Peggy asks if there was a bald person in the audience and sure enough there was! There was a brief connection there between the audience member and Peggy that was priceless.
An attempt to crowdsurf towards the end of the gig that resulted in Peggy cutting a track short. He was not having that (venue rules).
A couple behind me helped each other tie their shoelaces when they got undone. The exclamation of why there were so many white people in the audience was absolutely hilarious during "White boy better put his hands up" in Baby I'm Bleeding (they were not white).
As I jostled around the floor during countless moshes and jamming to the setlist, I definitely lost myself in the crowd and the music. It was a truly energetic experience. It wouldn't be a JPEGMAFIA gig though without something crazy happening. In 2019 Peggy hit his head accidentally and pretty much performed with a concussion. In 2022, we had a fan jump down from the upper floor at least 5-10 metres above to the ground section. It just happened out of nowhere. I hope that kid is alright.
If there is one thing to take away from this gig, it was the energy, seeing Peggy give everything he has to each track, and once again, the goddamn energy.
📷 Photos
Buzzy Lee
JPEG Motherfucking Mafia