Perfume Genius is a songwriter and performer for the identity-discovering, formative years-navigating youth.

Perfume Genius will be heading to Australia in December.

There’s a reason Perfume Genius’ massive, single ‘Slip Away’ soundtracked a pivotal melting pot moment of realisation, euphoria and heartbreak in the 2019 coming of age comedy drama Booksmart. 

With lines like “don’t look back, I want to break free, If you’ll never see ’em coming, you’ll never have to hide,” and the chorus cries, “They’ll never break the shape we take, Oh, ooh, Baby let all them voices slip away”, the song captures the essence of self-discovery, forbidden love, and acceptance. 

Perfume Genius

When: Wednesday 3 December

Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

Keep connected to your live music scene here.

This is just one of the songs in the Grammy-nominated American art-pop stars repertoire that represents the process of growing up, navigating life, love, and identity, and the queer experience. It’s through their conscious song crafting and emotional anthems that Perfume Genius is able to speak to a universal journey, one that is especially prevalent during youth and early-adulthood.

These tales began with Mike Hadreas’ – aka Perfume Genius’ – debut title, Learning, released in 2010 via long-time label home Matador. The appropriately named album was riddled with heart-breaking sentiments and thought-provoking takeaways centred on self-exploration. 2012’s Put Your Back N 2 It continued the thread, weaving right through to ground-breaking Too Bright, an album that represents confidence both production wise and lyrically. Stand-out effort ‘Queen’ would define the album, building a cult-like following and catapulting to community representative heights as a queer anthem.

Hadreas doesn’t hide away from discussing topics that are deeply personal, emotionally taxing or even socially critical, with his music exploring topics like sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn’s disease, domestic abuse, and the dangers faced by gay men in contemporary society. Whilst speaking from their own experience, the tracks double as informative pieces, helping to raise awareness and give voices to those living a shared experience.

This became particularly prevalent on the GRAMMY-nominated No Shape, an album that would crystalise his fanbase world-wide and bring mainstream awareness to his art, as well as the follow-up Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, taking listeners into their healing, growing and evolving as an artist and as an individual. These albums are full of hope whilst also addressing the devastations that are entwined in the gay experience.

The latest Perfume Genius offering goes beyond this, bringing into light the aftermath of youth, revealing the possibilities of aging. They once said “There’s a map for the first part,” he says about being young and gay. “There’s books about hustlers and drinking and drugs and going out. And then, after that, there’s not a lot.” Through Glory Hadreas offers a roadmap to aging in queer culture; a beacon of hope and a guiding hand to young people.

Perfume Genius is positioned as a person of influence for younger generations, so it’s only right that during their time in Australia, Perfume Genius’ always effervescent performance is accessible to young people. This is where Ballarat’s Her Majesty’s Theatre has stepped up.

 

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Their Wednesday 3 December show is open to an all-ages audience, the only venue to offer AA on Perfume Genius’ tour dates in Australia. The shows, as supported by Hand Habits, will be a core memory show for fans.

Tickets are still up for grabs to witness Perfume Genius and their anthemic catalogue come to life. 

Purchase your tickets here.