Gig Review – BAYNK at Howler, Melbourne 4/7
New Zealand born BAYNK (also known as Jock Nowell-Usticke), graced the band room of Howler in early July and Selin Kaya was there to capture it.
BAYNK is a perfect example of new-age DJs in the modern world, with his tropical house sound being sourced directly from his laptop and fingertips. That’s not all that was on show in his live performance, however, as BAYNK’s talents span from his ability to generate his own synths, play his saxophone, and sing with a mic – all whilst enjoying himself, with his dance moves entertaining the audience. This is what separates BAYNK from others who are of similar skill, as his fun-loving nature on stage allowed the audience to relax and truly enjoy the sounds he was orchestrating.
The night began with BAYNK playing two of his original mixes, Water, funnily enough followed by Poolside. Blue and green lights filled the room. Starting with such classic mixes may have been a risk for BAYNK, as a high bar was then set for the rest of the night. This is also around the time when the first sounds of his saxophone were heard, which the audience absolutely adored, as he was greeted with applause upon applause. In between tracks, he played remixes from KAASI, Mura Masa and even Flume. While the crowd thoroughly enjoyed the remixes for the most part, it did seem as though the audience were flat at times, however this could be due to the relaxed, ‘summery’ nature of BAYNK’s sound. Amongst the remixes, BAYNK did play original tracks such as Settle, Want 2, Off Limits, and Go With U, all of which flowed almost effortlessly from one to another. BAYNK should also be commended on his stage production, as the lighting was unique for every track, matching the energy in the room.
Towards the end of the set, music from renowned artists such as Drake, Brockhampton, and Chance the Rapper were remixed for the crowd’s enjoyment. BAYNK with arguably his most popular song, What You Need ft. NÏKA, which was slowly introduced until it was fully recognisable. What You Need is a quintessential BAYNK track and a huge crowd favourite. All in all, BAYNK’s set was a night of extremely good vibrations, thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. I can imagine his set would be a perfect sunset show at an Australian (or New Zealand) music festival.
If you’d like to catch the synth sounds of BAYNK on the rest of his tour, be sure to check out his website: https://baynk.me/
