Nestled in the shadow of Truist Park (home to the Atlanta Braves), the Coca-Cola Roxy played host to electronic music duo Empire of the Sun, with support from Roi Turbo, on a pleasant Sunday evening in the South. Opened as recently as 2017, this venue is a cornerstone destination within The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-used development of restaurants and condominiums adjacent to the ballpark, located approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Fortunately for the sold out crowd that lined up hours before the doors were scheduled to open, the concert was not competing with a Braves home game (nor afternoon showers).
The show began at 8:00pm sharp with Roi Turbo, comprised of London-based brothers Benjamin and Conor McCarthy (originally from South Africa). Influenced by South African bubblegum pop and Nigerian disco, the duo performed clubby, electro-funk instrumental dance music for nearly 45 minutes straight. I’ll admit that I couldn’t really tell when one song ended and the next began, but the early audience ate them up and seemingly enjoyed their performance, which included several songs from their just-released second EP, Bazooka.
Setlist:
1.) Turbo Charged
2.) Hyper League
3.) Volcano Cigarette Shop
4.) Neckbrace
5.) Blu Ghost
Following an extensive stage turn, the house went dark around 9:15pm, signifying to the 3,800+ Empyreans that Australian electronic duo Empire of the Sun was theatrically about to appear. Founded back in 2007 and anchored by Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele, Empire of the Sun is currently out on the road in support of their fourth studio album (and first in eight years), Ask That God (2024).
Behind stunning props, costumed dancers, and a giant backdrop LED screen display, Empire of the Sun amped up the capacity crowd starting with back-to-back tracks pulled from Ask That God, kicking off with “Changes,” which was immediately followed by “The Feeling You Get.” In fact, the 17-song, 90-minute set featured nearly half of their latest release, including additional tunes in fan-favorite “Cherry Blossom,” as well as “Television,” “Music On The Radio,” “Revolve,” “Ask That God,” and “Happy Like You.”
Having never seen Empire of the Sun live before (plus they have been on a six-year touring hiatus), I couldn’t have been more impressed with the musicianship, production quality, and meticulous attention to detail. The show was broken out into four seamless “Acts,” each with vivid visuals, costume changes, and character appearances such as Supa Chai (a dancing, squid-like creature). The Roxy crowd also appeared to be as diverse as the overall Empire of the Sun experience, ranging from the TikTok generation of younger adults to older parents with their little kids.
There was a joyful ambiance that emanated throughout the venue all set, but that emotion achieved its peak when the band performed arguably their greatest hit in “Walking on a Dream” from their award-winning debut studio album (2008). The entire Atlanta audience jumped up and down in unison, with each person having one hand extended high to the sky while the other was recording the moment on a smart phone.
After a brief pause in the musical action, Empire of the Sun then rolled into their two-song encore set, starting with “Standing on the Shore,” a track also pulled from Walking on a Dream. The band then wrapped up their magnificent evening with the tune “Alive,” the lead single off their second studio album, Ice on the Dune (2013). With a buzz still in the air, the enjoyably exhausted crowd shuffled out to the streets of The Battery to take selfies with the show’s sold out announcement on the venue’s video marque to capture the night.
Empire of the Sun will wrap up their US tour this week on Saturday, May 24th, at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts.
Setlist:
ACT 1
1.) Changes
2.) The Feeling You Get
3.) Half Mast
4.) Cherry Blossom
5.) We Are the People
ACT 2
6.) Way to Go
7.) DNA
8.) Television
ACT 3
9.) Music On The Radio
10.) Revolve
11.) High and Low
12.) Swordfish Hotkiss Night
ACT 4
13.) Ask That God
14.) Happy Like You
15.) Walking on a Dream
ENCORE
16.) Standing on the Shore
17.) Alive
Follow Roi Turbo Online
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
