Empire of the Sun had us feeling so alive at Good Vibes Festival.
In 2008, Australian music duo, Empire of the Sun, opened the world to their intergalactic dance vibes and psychedelic costumes with their debut album, Walking On A Dream. Made up of The Sleepy Jackson’s Luke Steele and Pnau’s Nick Littlemore, the duo makes a fantastic mix for two people who come from vastly different musical backgrounds. Known for their flamboyant, psychedelic and fantasy-like facade, some of the duo’s most popular hit singles include “Walking On A Dream”, “We Are The People”, “Standing On The Shore” and “Alive”.
Empire of the Sun made their way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the weekend as they were one of the headliners for Good Vibes Festival 2014. The festival which took place at Sepang Go-Kart Circuit on August 23rd (Saturday) also featured performances by Banks, !!! (Chk Chk Chk) and Ellie Goulding, to name a few.
Despite performing without, Nick Littlemore, Steele went on to put on a phenomenal performance for fans. By far one of the best live performances we have ever experienced, Empire of the Sun’s set featured trippy lighting, flashy headgears and flamboyant costumes which made the whole performance super dramatic and just simply, out of this world. To add on to the whole vibe and energy, Steele even smashed his guitar on stage which got the crowd going even wilder!
Before all the craziness, we had the chance to catch up with Luke Steele. Here’s what the rockstar had to say:
Q: Who is Empire of the Sun, without the makeup and the costumes – do you feel naked?
It’s just Luke Steele. Yeah, I guess it’s not the same and the makeup and costumes, well it’s part of the entertainment, the whole illusion thing.
Q: Do people recognize you without your make up on?
Not really, no. It’s like I’m two different people so it’s kind of cool.
Q: How long does it take for you to get ready?
Probably a couple of hours, as long as a woman takes to get ready I guess. Hahaha.
Q: You and Nick come from very different backgrounds, what made you guys get together to form Empire of the Sun?
I guess you’re always searching for more. The magical feel you know? We were introduced through a friend of ours and it kind of made the lightning strike — roads went open, all the girls took their clothes off and the city went wild. Hahaha. But yeah, it was a sign for us.
Q: What was it like working on the soundtrack for Dumb and Dumber To?
That was an amazing experience because it was our first motion picture. It’s kind of a strange world, because you’re in a separate segment. You have the film directors, the actors working with you and when you put music forward, it has to fit the way the director says. So sometimes, it’s like a paradox because you think “Oh, it was perfect when he kissed the girl but the director goes, “”CUT!”” but the Farrelly brothers are such great directors. And Peter Farrelly is a good friend of mine and they’re just the best of the best. So yeah, it was a great experience.
Q: Your music is not very current and it has somewhat of a 70s feel to it. Why is that?
Yeah I guess it’s because classic records, records from the 1970s, inspire us. So yeah, we want to bring the good things from the old world back.
Q: What would you say is the craziest fan experience you’ve ever had?
We have a fan in Australia who has the crown tattooed on his leg. He also followed us around a bit. Haha. We had a pretty strange fan in Belgium. He came to our show but he really wanted to get backstage. I think he thought backstage was like a giant swimming pool with 300 naked girls and people would slide lobsters down your throats or something because he came backstage and asked us where backstage was. He followed us to a couple of shows and always wanted to get backstage but was never satisfied. Haha
Q: With the success of your first two albums, can we expect a third album soon?
Yeah, we’ve written a lot of songs after the film score so yeah, maybe sometime next year.
Q: We look forward to that! What does the rest of 2014 hold for Empire of the Sun?
We’ve got a few more tours around including Dubai and America. Then we’ve got crazy New Years Eve plans in a few strange places. Haha.
Q: If you had to, which would you give up, hearing or sex?
Oh that’s a pretty easy answer. Give up sex, huh? Pfffft. Hahaha
It was such an honour talking to Luke Steele. So charming, so down-to-earth and just so friendly! Special thanks to our friends from Universal Music Malaysia for making this interview happen.
Stay updated with Empire of the Sun via these platforms –Website, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Check out the photo gallery below to have an idea of what went down during Empire of the Sun’s set at Good Vibes Festival:
