It was a real joy to discover underscores, aka April Harper Grey, was finally set to headline our continent. The San Francisco artist’s 2021 debut album fishmonger made waves in the hyperpop scene, and 2023’s Wallsocket did that more so by bending indie rock, dubstep, Midwest emo, pop punk and all the sort. We got the chance to see her fervent artistry in person, witnessing her interweaving of maximalist rocky-electro soundscapes with pensive lyrics and worldbuilding to lose yourself in. It’s funny that Grey is credited so vehemently for her contributions to the hyperpop genre, despite telling the NME last year it is “officially dead”. It makes more sense to view her oeuvre in a post–hyperpop lens; she genuinely is changing the game. With her diverse artistic facets, Grey is a truly inspiring force for this current and upcoming generation of creatives. Many young uni students aren’t too far off from her age and similarly found their expressive footing using the internet. To then see her live at Richmond’s Corner Hotel was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

On the night, the Corner became a hotspot for avid and vibrant concertgoers celebrating hyperpop’s maximalism. Seriously—once the music began, it didn’t stop. Opening for Grey were numerous DJs—Babie Club kicked things off with glossy, glittery dance bangers typical to the genre that eased us into the mood. Big Chocolate swiftly followed, bringing a massive stage presence with their producer Dexter helming the music. They’ve been around the block across the scene—when not on their own, they’re playing with the Melbourne Trap Orchestra, a local band who reimagine the music of Chief Keef, Playboi Carti, Ice Spice and others with a jazz fusion palette. Their communal presence is not one to miss and it’s only appropriate Big Chocolate played for underscores—their sped-up cover of Owl City’s ‘Fireflies’ really got the floor moving. This high-octane energy was sustained by Chaotic Good making the crowd bounce, pulling out a glitchy garage edit of Grey’s own ‘seventyseven dog years’ to commemorate the event. Frog Chaser pumped us up even more before Grey took centrestage, pulling out all the stops with an intense DJ set. Beefed up club-ready versions of SOPHIE’s ‘Immaterial’, Vengaboys’ ‘We Like to Party’ and the mid–2000s classic internet meme ‘Numa Numa’ were some standouts. ‘Caramelldansen’ wouldn’t have been out of place.

Finally, the star of the night fell upon us—a projection that read “underscores presents” cut to a scene almost straight out of a PS2 game, with Grey playing Dance Dance Revolution and driving off with a friend to their hometown. The display of the tour promo led to a cry of cheers, which multiplied once Grey stepped on stage with her guitar and immediately went into the explosive ‘Cops and Robbers’. A thrilling and bombastic introduction, certainly, which never slowed down across the hour Grey played for. Switching between fishmonger and Wallsocket tracks throughout the set, as well as the newly-released hit ‘My guy (Corporate shuffle)’, it was like Grey guided the audience through her imaginative world. Constantly in view were hand-drawn and flashy 3D visuals, often with naturalistic aesthetics, which brightened the dimly-lit venue.

There’s a vulnerable, rural or suburban queer sensibility to the underscores world—it was awe-inspiring seeing it in the flesh. More intermissions were woven in the performance: one was of Grey buying cigs at a service station and another was an out-of-place audio calibration test, the former followed by the solemn standout ‘You don’t even know who I am’. However, from then on, the electrifying energy never curtailed. Grey’s twangy strings cut through the space with a shoegazing sound during the set’s final third. Everyone was jumping and singing along by that point. Several vortexing moshes like whirlpools made the Corner’s floors rumble, which brought friends together each time they settled. Those mosh pits would be an insane first pit experience for any fresh concertgoer. Grey told the crowd that Melbourne was the wildest crowd yet on her Australian leg—that came into fruition once the encore, ‘Locals (Girls like us)’, concluded her unforgettable show.

It all comes back to underscores as an artist—her eclectic musical background, stage interactivity and all-around heart on fire mentality made this night possible. The horde of fans belting every word during her performance is the most organic evidence of Grey’s impactful influence reaching many optimistic souls. To reiterate, then: she really is changing the game. To have been immersed in her world was a great treat, but to have done so among fans who were so very passionate, was remarkable.