Words by: Cocolesexbomb
Photos by: Tracy Mclaughlan
Phenomenal is no understatement. The powerhouse that is Supergroove took to the stage alongside Troy Kingi, DJ King Kapisi and Rubi Du and had the punters dancing, powerfully screaming lyrics, crying, and even in some cases making love on the dance floor. Quite the phenomenon indeed.
As fans from far and wide poured into The Tivoli in Brisbane, an electric mist filled the air. It felt like everybody knew each other, and it was one big family gathering. I stood there foolishly thinking, ‘It’s a late start if they want to have four acts play‘, especially after such a big day at the footy…
DJ King Kapisi took to the stage and mic’d in a way few MC’s know how, heating up the dancefloor with his classic R’N’B mashups and crowd controlling on the mic. When I say it set a mood – the energy in the room, already high, skyrockets. For about 45 minutes, Kapisi claims his King status as we are all in the palm of his record scratching hands.
With zero intermission, King Kapisi hands us over to another crowd favourite, the extremely talented – and devilishly handsome – Mr Troy Kingi. Solo with his guitar, he sings his heart out in an extravagant bright green silk suit, and it was glorious. Then out of the dark corners of the stage, familiar faces appear as members of Supergroove creating a supergroup of sorts if you will, and together they fucking melted faces. The musicianship, stage presence and tight funk groove was unrivalled.
This is also about the time the love making commenced mid dance floor, FYI.
Troy played a solo song and the Super/Kingi song, thanked the audience and introduced some old friends to the stage, then gracefully exited stage right.
It was at this point I was confused and doing the mental math, especially being a Troy Kingi fan… How could it only be two songs? And then it clicks, the answer to my earlier question, this isn’t four acts… This is one big jam with the Whānau. It all made sense right as Supergroove kick off fully. All that power and musical prowess from before, but with the Supergroove flair we were all waiting for.
The horns are playing loud and proud, the bass tight, and the groovy guitar tone was immaculate. The singing soulful, the rapping articulate, and the dance moves quirky as heck. Kapisi, Kingi and Rubi Du would take to the stage throughout the night for a jam-packed night of musical mischief.
Now, we can’t talk about musical mischief without talking about Rubi Du pulling you in. Being completely empowered and unapologetically her proud beautiful self as she controlled the stage and crowd with an exuberant level of sass and power. If people weren’t making love on the dance floor yet… they are now!
Supergroove and Co. The Phenomenon Tour was truly an experience that needs to be seen to be believed.
