Known for blurring the lines between performance and fantasy, the mysterious musical duo are legends in the music industry. Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, ‘Emperor Steele’ and ‘Lord Littlemore’ respectively, are the co-founders and masterminds behind the project.
Saturday was a spectacle from the moment fans began to fill the campus. A sea of sequinned tops, iridescent fabrics, chunky boots, and painted faces shimmered beneath the emerging evening light. Friends dressed as the band themselves wandered the grounds, giddy with anticipation. Every corner felt like its own scene — laughter, storytelling, and the quiet disbelief of those who had waited years for this night.
Saturday was a spectacle to experience. Fans of all ages filled the Old Royal Naval College campus, covering the grounds with multi-colored garments, sequinned tops, chunky boots, and theatrical headwear. Faces were glowing with paint in the afternoon light. Groups of friends were dressed as the band themselves, exploring the grounds and giddy with anticipation. Every corner of the property was filled with laughter and disbelief, ready for the night to unfold.
Hosted by Labyrinth Events, the evening was transformed into a mini festival. All around were different pop-ups: food from local vendors like Club Mexicana, drinks from Estella Damm and Jubel, and experiences like a spinning prize wheel from travel and food membership brand Dis-loyalty. The pre-concert shenanigans were never-ending, offering opportunities for any type of guest. While the sun started to finally shine through the gray right after 6 o'clock, R&B and island sounds echoed off the old buildings provided by the opening DJ Poly Ritmo.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old Royal Naval College holds a cinematic energy. However, inside the Painted Hall, transformed into a VIP area, one was surrounded by a sight to behold, an opulent Baroque masterpiece designed by Sir James Thornhill between 1707 and 1726. With walls and ceilings drenched in kings, queens, and mythic gods, the night started to feel very mythological for those lucky enough to watch from the balcony.
Los Eclipses, a Franco-Mexican duo from Mexico City, took the stage in golden light as the first opener. Their blend of melancholia and celebration were a perfect warm-up, blending Eva de Marce’s ethereal vocals and partner Dan Solo’s layered production. The band held gratitude to the audience, as well as to Empire of the Sun, for welcoming them to England.
Next came Roi Turbo, an electronic dance duo from Cape Town. Brothers Benjamin and Conor McCarthy charged the crowd with their energetic beats.
Then, as the crowd was beginning to truly take shape as the sun was setting, there was darkness. A low hum of anticipation. The stage screens came alive in a riot of changing colors, and Empire of the Sun graced the stage with a wave of applause and roars from the crowd.
Opening with ‘Changes’ from their new album ‘Ask That God’, Luke Steele was transformed into his persona ‘Emperor Steele’ of the ‘Empyrean’ universe. He stepped into view with his long black hair and beard, a kimono style robe, and an electric guitar. Although Littlemore was absent, Steele commanded the stage with a full live band, dancers, and even a person in a jellyfish costume. His outfits changed at lightning speed, each more flamboyant and theatrical than the last.
Dancers in short black wigs and striking costumes moved with precision and grace with the music. The visuals captured all of their previous album artworks, moving us through the band’s history.
The setlist was a time-travel through their catalogue. ‘Half Mast’ cracked open the crowd’s nostalgia, ‘We Are the People’ and ‘DNA’ kept the energy coursing. ‘Music on the Radio’ sparked a vibey dance along (dancing with the jellyfish) while ‘High and Low’ raised every hand to the sky. From classroom windows in surrounding buildings, onlookers peered out, unable to take their gaze from the stage. Every moment felt like a chapter in a sci-fi rock opera.
When ‘Walking on a Dream’ finally arrived, the entire crowd was in awe, a collective moment of nostalgia hitting us. The closing track, ‘Alive’, was combined with fireworks bursting over the London skyline, and a choral swell accompanied the image of beautiful blue gates closing on the screens, the band taking their bows. One can only imagine them as the gates to the Empyrean, shutting us out of their temporary heaven as the night came to a close.
For a few hours, Greenwich was the ‘Empyrean Universe’, where Empire of the Sun proved they are still the masters of turning a gig into a myth, and only those who attended can say what truly happened or if it was a fantasy.
Although this was the only UK date, Empire of the Sun will be on tour around the world with tickets available from their website here.
Molly Spencer
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