Tinlicker take Melbourne to new heights for Australian tour – [Event Review]

On Saturday, April 23, world-renowned Dutch duo Tinlicker graced Melbourne at the Bourke Street Courtyard with a set for the ages.

After their Australian debut back in 2019, it was only fitting that Tinlicker brought their tour of their brand new album ‘In Another Lifetime’, ‘down under’. Being able to perform a sold-out tour across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney in a single weekend, for just their second visit is a huge scalp for Micha Heyboer and Jordi van Achthoven of Tinlicker. 

The Melbourne show took place at the Bourke Street Courtyard, which is a “beautiful glass-enclosed space” of the Royal Melbourne Hotel. This venue has something for everyone; its description reads:

“Built in 1889 and located on the former site of Melbourne’s Bourke Street-West Police Station, RMH incorporates historical features & modern architecture culminating into one of Melbourne’s most iconic entertainment & dining venues.”

The décor of the venue is simply stunning; the glass, the hanging plants, and the rustic-like design of the bar all compliment each other perfectly. The Courtyard was definitely too small of a venue for Tinlicker, as the show sold out in just a matter of days. However, it’s unlikely that another venue could have made the show as special as it was. 

Austrian-born and Melbourne-based BINI opened up proceedings, perfectly setting the tone of the night; a nice crowd had settled in early, which is always a good sign for a splendid night ahead. Melbourne duo Bound were up next, and they absolutely delivered as the sun began to set. Their set highlights included Kryder’s remix of ‘On The Beach’ by York and the Space Motion remix of ‘I Won’t Let You Fall’ by Aly & Fila featuring JES, which you can view down below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccuq8c_vKyv/

The older, yet happy and vibrant crowd were more than ready for Tinlicker to take the stage, with the scene set for them to strut their stuff; it’s also worth noting that only Jordi performed this set (Tinlicker are known for only having one half perform on given sets). The two-hour set was a journey worth going on, with tracks from the album such as ‘Healing Forest’ and ‘Be Here and Now’ setting the scene early. As the set progressed, the energy only rose higher. It was difficult to distinguish a highlight, but their fan-favourites such as ‘Children’ with Robert Miles, ‘Because You Move Me’ and their most-streamed track off ‘In Another Lifetime’, ‘You Take My Hand’ were a culmination of the set’s best moments. The production during the set was a perfect example that sometimes, less really is more. The simple, yet effective use of strobe-lighting, red and blue lights, and the LED screens, made for quality viewing.

It’s clear that Tinlicker have a global following, but their Australian fans are definitely up there as some of their most invested. Whilst electronic music as a whole is beginning to thrive again in Australia, there has always been a place for trance, and it’s always been one of Australia’s finest niches with electronic music. 

Photo Credits: Tinlicker Official Press