Gold Panda Gig

On the back of the release of the ‘Trust’ EP in January, Canberra Day eve saw the English maximalist andslow-mo house producer Gold Panda headlining a night of banging beats at Hippo Bar.

In the spirit of centenary celebrations infecting Canberra, the event kicked of early with doors opening in the afternoon as the sun began to set.

With local Canberra acts Deadbeat Jam and Aeon kicking off the night, the crowd trickled into Hippo Bar, which soon filled to capacity in anticipation for Gold Panda’s set.

Derwin ‘Gold’ Panda hailing from Essex in the United Kingdom, known for his remixes and splendidly eclectic tracks that make use of many Eastern influenced samples and sounds, hit the decks at eleven thirty to the delight of the crowd.

Dropping hit tunes like ‘You’ and ‘Trust’, the artist quickly got the fans moving by firing uplifting vibes and blasting rib-cage crushing bass through the sound system into the crowd.

Gold Panda’s use of MIDI controllers for live sample manipulation brought a unique edge to the music and meant that he was able to give the crowd a unique display of his DJing skills.

With any live performance, one of the best ways to gauge how successful a gig is, is to note if the artist is enjoying the gig as much as the crowd, and Gold Panda was bouncing and dancing as much as anyone, rocking out behind the decks.

Recent renovations to Hippo Bar which has seen the addition of a new outdoor seating area with a view out over Garema place, brought a fresh and lively atmosphere to the night which according to aspiring Canberra musician Brady Schoo was a performance that will be hard to beat this year.

“Gold Panda is a fairly massive international artist, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him in my home town,” he said.

Vincent Ward, a fan of the English artist said the venue was the perfect place for Gold Panda to perform for the crowd.

“I liked that close nit vibe at Hippo Bar; it was a really great environment with plenty of room to move, but the area didn’t feel empty,” he said.

Gold Panda’s ‘Trust” EP is on sale now.