Melbourne audiences buckled in for a huge two hour set last night as Italian rockers Måneskin unleashed a sonic storm of good tunes at Margaret Court Arena.
My plus one and I were there to catch the bands third studio album tour RUSH!, after huge sold-out shows in cities across the world including New York City, Rio De Janeiro, Singapore, Tokyo and London.
For those unfamiliar with Måneskin, the band formed in Rome back in 2016 and was named after the Danish word for “moonlight.” Since then the glam-rock group have made a name for themselves, and won some very loyal fans in the process, with their appearances on the Italian version of X Factor.
Most Australians introduction to the group will be with their Eurovision Song Contest winning song “Zitti e buoni” (Be Quiet and Behave) back in 2021. It’s a hard-hitting rock tune that was an unusual surprise hit for the pop-heavy song contest.
During their Melbourne set, “Zitti e buoni” was delivered upfront with all the crowd admiration you would expect from arguably their most famous track. For us though it was their bass-driven anthem “I wanna be your slave” and “Gasoline” that truly sent sent the endorphins rushing and got us on our feet for a dance.
As singer Damiano David stalked the stage bare chested with microphone in hand, we were reminded of glam-rockers of the late 80s. There were even a few novelty moments like when Damiano hoisted a large spotlight in his hands and shone it around the audience to get a Mexican wave going.
Impressively, the band crosses over between soft-rock ballads and more hard-hitting emo-esque tunes as effortlessly as vocalist Damiano David switching between Italian and English in their songs.
Some of the biggest crowd reactions were from their hit song “Supermodel” which saw some expat Italians dancing near us overjoyed as they sung along. For a lot of the Aussies in the crowd, the groups acoustic cover of “Are you going to be my girl” by Jet was a surprise addition to an already packed set.
It was also great to see the band not only jump into the audience, or pull them onto the stage for a dance, but to also move from the giant main stage to perform some quieter numbers from a tiny stage at the rear of the room.
There’s also a lot of love for the group among LGBTQ+ fans which the band are happy to lean into with two of the four members identifying as queer. It was really refreshing to see the mix of audiences in what can typically be a very hetro and masculine dominated world of rock.
Where some groups rely on the front-man’s charisma to carry all their live shows, Måneskin really is an ensemble. Guitarist Thomas Raggi was showing off by playing his instrument behind his head or ripping into solos under a spotlight, and bassist Victoria De Angelis has the audience screaming out for more when she wasn’t throwing herself into the audience to crowdsurf while still keeping up an impressive bass rhythm.
While the two-hour live show on paper seemed a little too long to keep the energy going for all 7000 fans at Margaret Court, Måneskin’s energy and fan devotion was so infectious that this time flew by and before we knew it the show had finished with an encore performance of “I wanna be your slave” (yes, twice in a night).
With one electrifying performance after another, it’s easy to see why Måneskin have made a name for themselves across the globe. Don’t miss out on this electrifying tour.
– The Plus Ones
Måneskin are touring Australia from the 20-25th November, 2023. Get your tickets here.
This venue is accessible.
