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BENEE

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BENEE
@ HOTA, Gold Coast, Qld
20th March, 2022
(Live Review)

Review by Tammy Whitelaw

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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For most artists, the past 2 years of lockdowns and show cancellations have brought so much uncertainty and heartache.  Luckily for New Zealand artist, Benee (Stella Bennett) it hasn’t been all doom and gloom – quite the opposite, actually.  Early covid lockdowns sparked massive interest in her music when her track Supalonely blew up on TikTok.  The insanely catchy bop from her Stella and Steve EP became the unofficial lockdown anthem as the accompanying dance challenge went viral on the platform, including a performance by J.Lo.  The song has recently made its way onto the APRA AMCOS 1 billion streams list – quite an achievement for the young 22-year-old.

Now with *fingers crossed* lockdowns a thing of the past and international borders open, Benee is finally able to embark on her first ever headline world tour.  Kicking off on the Gold Coast almost 2 years after the release of her debut album Hey u x (a killer output of songs with big name features like Lily Allen and Grimes) Benee can now bring her songs to life on stage.  Just to be sure there was no shortage of tracks to choose from, Benee dropped a brand-new EP, Lychee, just weeks before hitting the road.

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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Joining Benee on the tour is young New Zealand act, Muroki.  The first signing to Benee’s own record label, Olive.  Muroki’s laid back reggae influenced sound was a perfect fit for the chilled Gold Coast crowd.  A cover of Sam Sparro’s Black and Gold lifted the energy of the room – bringing everyone to their feet. The only ones left in their seats were the chaperoning parents at the all-ages show.

Make You Sick, the closing track off Lychee blasts through the speakers as Benee bounds onto the stage.  The lyrics “Bad bitch, I am a bad bitch. But you can’t have this” set the tone for the evening. Straight off the bat, Tough Guy, Happen to Me and Same Effect send the crowd wild.  The intimate, seated theatre venue barely able to contain the energy filling the room.  The stern warnings by security of no dancing as we took our seats were quickly disregarded.

When she sings, Benee is flawless.  It’s the moments in between songs that she struggles.  “I’m so sweaty and nervous” she admits.  But it’s her awkward dance moves and constant rambling that make her even more loveable.  “Stop it, Stella” she mutters to herself, fully aware of the tangent she has wandered off on, before reeling us all back in by launching into Find An Island.

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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Just when we thought the Lychee tracks were the only new ones we’d hear tonight, we’re surprised with an unreleased track. “I think it’s called Morning Routine, but that’s kinda lame.  It hasn’t been released yet, so just act like you like it” she asks.  We’re brought back to familiar ground with Night Garden, self-love anthem Marry Myself and Kool.  Benee has her solo moment as her 3-piece band leave the stage for Soft Side.

Beach Boy (produced by Greg Kurstin) kicks the set back into gear followed by Snail and crowd favourite, Glitter. The new grunge-tinged track Never Ending breaks the momentum a little as Benee stumbles on the intro “I make mistakes ok. I’m not fucking perfect” she laughs.  These are the moments where the curtain drops on Benee, and young Stella is revealed.  It’s incredibly refreshing to see in the often over polished world of pop music.

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MUROKI, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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MUROKI, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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Supalonely and Sheesh are the fireworks finale to tonight’s electric show.  Every song in Benee’s set was begging to bust out of the seated confines of the venue.  Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be seeing her in such an intimate space next time around.

Benee’s future is exciting.  I can only imagine the heights she’ll reach now that she’s free to carve out her own well-earned place in the pop world.  Tonight, she gave her all – even if she’s still working out exactly what that is.

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE, Reunion Park Melbourne // Photo Richard Nicholson

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BENEE
AUSTRALIA 2022

Presented by Live Nation and triple j

Friday 18 March – Hobart Uni Bar, Hobart  
Sunday 20 March – HOTA Amphitheatre, Gold Coast
Tuesday 22 March – Fortitude Music Hall
Friday 25 March – Reunion Park, Melbourne  
Tuesday 29 March – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide  
Thursday 7 April – Big Top, Sydney

TICKETS HERE

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Follow BENEE
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TIK TOK
TWITTER

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Press Release 8th March 2022 (below) HERE

BENEE
drops video for
‘NEVER ENDING’
from new EP
LYCHEE EP
Out Now

+ 2022 World Tour
starts in Aus this month

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LYCHEE EP – OUT NOW
BUY/STREAM HERE

LYCHEE 
EP tracklist:

1. ‘Beach Boy’
2. ‘Soft Side’
3. ‘Hurt You Gus’
4. ‘Never Ending’
5. ‘Marry Myself’
6. ‘Doesn’t Matter’
7. “Make You Sick’

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AMNPLIFY – DB