American R&B/pop duo Emotional Oranges recently landed in Melbourne at 170 Russell on August 20th to kickstart their 2-show Aussie leg of their Australasia tour.
Formed in 2017, Emotional Oranges came to life when Azad “A” Right and Vali “V” Porter met at a bat mitzvah. Following the release of their first single, ‘Motion’ on SoundCloud, their debut album The Juice: Vol. 1 led to an immediate sell-out headlining tour and the pair has continued making strides ever since. Through their labels Avant Garden Records and Island Records, Emotional Oranges released The Juice: Vol. II, The Juice: Vol. III and collaborative mixtape The Juicebox with features artists like Vince Staples, THEY., and Kiana Ledé.
How I came across Emotional Oranges is somewhat of a vague mystery. I think I first heard ‘Motion’ on an Apple Music playlist, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. What I do remember clearly is that my obsession with Emotional Oranges kicked into high gear when Joshua and Vernon from K-Pop group Seventeen played ‘West Coast Love’ on their Apple Music radio show Summer Vacation. I recognised the distinct sound of A and V’s voices and before long, I made everyone in my office to listen to them too.
When I saw them requesting tour stops on their Instagram, I replied with “Melbourne pls & thank u !!!” – eager to tick them off my live music bucket list. Within a few hours they responded to my DM with “Perfecttt… See you in August” and I immediately ran it up the ladder to our Editor in Chief.
This tour marks the duo’s third time visiting Australian shores following their 2019 A Very Emotional Tour and 2022’s The Sad Fruit Tour. Entering the venue early, we witnessed a handful of VIP fans having a quiet meet and greet with the Oranges, some walking away with signed LPs as well as photos with the artists. I was also lucky enough to nab one of the remaining signed vinyl, an especially exciting moment for me as their albums are very difficult to find in retailers here in Australia.
Despite being a Tuesday night, the floor of the 170 Russell venue was absolutely packed! Orange spotlights lit up the stage, casting the venue in a warm and delicious glow, setting the tone for what was to come. At the 2-minute to showtime mark, the main screen lit up with a timer, complete with a 3D animated orange. As the seconds ticked down, the crowd erupted into a loud (and slightly mis-timed) 10-second countdown, voices overlapping in excitement.
Opening the show with ‘Personal’, the second single from Emotional Oranges’ debut studio album, A hit the stage first, standing before visuals of V and V lookalikes dancing on screen. When V eventually hit the stage, the crowd came to life, thrilled to see the duo performing side by side as they led the crowd through a string of hits, including ‘Motion’, ‘Better Apart’, ‘All That’, ‘Just Like You’, ‘Sundays’ and ‘Bounce’.
If this is your first time hearing the name Emotional Oranges, allow me to paint you a picture: pink and orange sunsets and incense burning in the background, warmth creeping up and out from your chest. It’s pure light, pure happiness, just pure. Combining influences from their hometowns in Los Angeles and New York, Emotional Oranges squeeze out love songs, R&B grooves, and pop anthems that ride on funk waves and retro vibes, expertly combining the male-female vocal ranges with breezy production quality.
V and A are truly two sides of the same coin. When you see them perform, it’s plain to see how and why they are a perfectly matched. Where V is bold, sexy, and fluid, A is playful, smooth, and full of swagger. Vocally, they’re so well balanced, it’s almost unbelievable. Whether they’re harmonizing or providing backing vocal and ad-lib support, A and V’s voices fit together seamlessly to meet this musical sweet spot of pure euphoria.
As they ran through their set list, A and V interacted with the crowd excitedly, giving away tour t-shirts, recording themselves on fan’s phones, and joking with each other as they moved about the stage. Although my personal favourites were ‘Wrong Hands’ and ‘Sundays’, the whole crowd went wild for ‘Just Like You’, as Emotional Oranges encouraged the Melbourne audience to sing along with the lyrics blasted on the screens behind them. ‘Bounce’ with its rallying cry of “I need cash in large amounts” had everybody throwing their hands up and keeping the energy high after the more mellow slow jams.
Considering it was a more intimate show driven by talent rather than spectacle, Emotional Oranges still made efforts to provide the Melbourne crowd with a little showmanship like a brief neon light play that cast an incredible glow between them, with V in light and A in shadow, and a moment of silence for victims of the war in Gaza, conjuring a sea of hands holding up peace signs. V followed this up with a moving a cappella cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘How Will I Know’. This was another highlight for me as it was so unexpected, hauntingly beautiful, and showed off her raw vocal power and skill. After this moment of quiet, the duo moved into their final songs and their encore, where they performed ‘Peak’ and ‘West Coast Love’, another big-time crowd pleaser.
I truly can’t overstate how fun this show was. From their blend of intimate lyrics and dance-worthy beats, Emotional Oranges are a must-see for R&B and pop lovers. V and A have such a magnetic stage presence, cover an incredible range between them, and exude boundless compassion for those present and beyond. If there is a world where Emotional Oranges don’t exist, I don’t ever want to live there.
Emotional Oranges are currently touring Australia as part of their 2024 Australia Tour, proudly presented by MG Live and Frontier Touring. Performing in Melbourne at 170 Russell on Tuesday the 20th of August, be sure to catch Emotional Oranges next at Sydney’s Metro Theatre on August 21st before they venture off to Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://emotionaloranges.com
https://mg.live/emotionaloranges
https://www.frontiertouring.com/emotionaloranges
https://www.instagram.com/emotionaloranges
Photography by Eloise Coomber.