Me and every other individual in Sydney TBH .
Unless you’ve been living under a very,verylarge rock, you would’ve heard about Fred again.., the British producer sending the entire country into a frenzy.
Ever since he herald a surprisal show at the Sydney Opera House on Feb 27 , he has been touring the country in a cosmic string of last - minute show that have garnered involvement fromliterallymillions of Aussies .
But this type of hype and buzz is usually reserved for only the biggest popstars, yet there are plenty of people online who have never heard of the man.
Fred Who ? Is it just me?#fredagain#fred#music#era#goldcoast#australia#fyp
Or people are confused by his popularity since he’s not exactly a mega celebrity (yet).
I DONT GET THE HYPE IM SORRY
Now, old m8 Fred didn’t hit superstardom out of nowhere. After recording albums which he calls ‘diaries’ during the 2020 lockdowns, he struck gold when he teamed up with The Blessed Madonna to make ‘Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)’.
It’s a song about not only missing what we lost throughout lockdown, but pushing through to experience it all again.
One day I ’ll administer with the trauma that meter of my life convey me , but not today !
Fred is also a master of TikTok – not only using samples of TikToks tomakemusic, but almost every visual element of his craft is cut in 9:16 (ie. social video aspect ratio).
He ’s alsoveryactive with his lover , running Discord servers and Whatsapp groupchats to pass on with them .
this is one of my favored things we ve ever scram to do @angie mcmahon
Now, it’d been a year since Fred again.. was last in Australia, where he did a string of shows as part of Laneway Festival and a few sideshows here and there.
His last Sydney sideshow — another last minute announce at Hordern Pavilion — had a electrical capacity of 5,500 . The three Qudos Bank Arena shows he ’s done this year ? 21,000.Each .
But things were different this time around. From the second he touched down in Sydney, the aforementioned Discord server and Whatsapp chats were going gangbusters.
Whispers of secret shows , hacks to get links to purchase tag that he gives out to only his oldest fans . Suddenly , ticket buying was n’t just a transaction — it was a treasure hunting . The more mass sing about it , the more people get in on it . It was becoming very decipherable that we have a full blown love involvement with Fred again ..
And, if just one of his Sydney arena shows is anything to go by, the love is mutual.
I headed along to his show at Qudos Bank Arena on March 13 to investigate myself if the hype was real. And, if it was, I was determined to see if he could live up to it.
Before even step inside the locus , it was clear that this was a special night for thousands of multitude . Big smiles at every corner . People absolutely sprinting just to get in blood .
In fact , consort to this TikTok , people were getting hype on the power train ride there featuring a unadulterated DJ pose up .
Gwtting the railroad train to @Fredagainagain @Olivia Alder - Woolf#fredagain#sydney
youtube.com
But once I entered into the depths of the arena, the joy felt all-consuming. It was everywhere. You couldn’t not feel it.
Once he took to the stage, sitting by his keyboard, he started to play a beautiful, slowed-down version of ‘Kyle (i found you)’ — a nice way to tenderly pull at the heartstrings before the crowd drenches themselves in sweat.
thing turned up a gear when it follow to perform ' Roze ( forgive ) ' and ' Tate ( how i feel ) ' , before absolutely unleashing for ' Danielle ( smile on my face ) ' .
The spotlight then turned to a spot in the crowd, where Joy Anonymous' Henry Counsell — Fred’s IRL housemate and this show’s support act — was seated with a microphone.
Fred let the crowd know that the song they were about to do was debuted at the Sydney Opera House not two weeks prior . reckon his surprisal when he tried to instruct the crew the words , only for the crowd to already do it them .
It ’s a testament to Fred ’s power and harnessing his virality . Anyone can go viral , but Fred again .. weaponises it in such a way that it becomes a animate being that feeds itself . For a song to become so anthemic before it ’s even released prove his impact , but also his fanbase ’s fear for his workplace .
But why do his fans revere him so much? There was something strangely religious about him standing in the middle of the crowd, rattling through absolute bangers like ‘Rumble’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘leavemealone’.
After getting the lights to shine on the crowd multiple times so he could see all the smiling, teary faces gaze back at him, Fred told a story about ‘Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)’.
To paraphrase , he said that he was receive myriad diabetes mellitus , following the song ’s freeing , of Australians dancing to the song in the confines of their homes , beg him to fare to Australia whenever borders open . And that ’s when the crux of Fred again .. ’s impact really struck me .
Fred again.. doesn’t make music for escapism. He makes music that reminds you of home. He makes music that makes you feel present.
document his lifespan through Sung throughout the pandemic means his euphony is ground in universal experience , which might be why so many mass on the other side of the earth link up with him so strongly . We ’ve had dancing back in our life for yr , but the song serves as a admonisher of what we as a collective endured — which constitute the dancing so much dulcet .
Images and videos of his friends trip the light fantastic toe and partying dab across the screens as he plays ' Baxter ( these are my friends ) ' and ' Marco ( and everyone ) ' . In those moments , they were our booster too , and everyone around us were our friend as well .
You can imagine the 21,000-deep embrace that happened when the cries of"put your loving arms around me"played during ‘Billie (loving arms)’.
Groups of crying people squeeze each other tightly and passionately , whether they ’ve been friends evermore or just for tonight . Except for the one guy next to me shuffling smartly like it was still 2011 . Shout out to that guy .
Over the whole evening, it became clear that people don’t just love Fred again.. the way they love other celebrities. They love what he represents.
As I walking out, I passed a British woman who was sitting with her friends recounting her experience.
" When all the picture of his friends started playing , I started blazon out . "
That is what a Fred again .. show is about . It ’s music , visuals and an experience that fag you . Why would you need escape when you may find oneself so much love and felicity all around you ( in theleastcornyway possible ) ?
All that being said, the hype is mostcertainlyreal, and Fred again.. lives up to colossal amounts of love Australia gives him.
Again and again andagain .
