It’s been three years since Harley Streten first performed at Reading Festival. Headlining the Dance Stage, his performance was a spectacular signal for bolder and brighter things. Returning to headline the NME / BBC Radio 1 Stage, that momentum seems only set to grow.
Positioned behind tables of glass and neon, against a backdrop of visuals that leave you feeling like you’re falling through space, the Australian producer puts on a show that’s nothing short of cosmic. His set takes in everything: cuts from throughout his career are met with a whirlwind of adulation, remixes a celebration, and from start to end the wonder doesn’t cease. The energy blazes through the tent like wildfire. Couples carry out the lift from Dirty Dancing as the rhythms break, and groups dive to the floor in a spectacular mass display of the worm. Simply put, this is the kind of performance they build monuments to (and actually might if you sign this petition.) Conductor of the chaos, Flume is a master of all he creates, and there’s none who can cultivate enthusiasm quite like it.