I was frightened that I would be late to Lou Wall’s Bleep Bloop.
I always pride myself on getting to an event early or on time, but due to the insane traffic with many events on that night in Melbourne, I was stressing that this may be the first time I’d be late to something and that I’d miss out on part of the performance. Thankfully, I arrived before the show started (unsure if I was late or if Lou was late), managed to grab my seat, and to my utter relief and delight, the first song Lou Wall performed was a funk-pop, boogie style number conveniently titled, ‘Gays Are Always Late’. If only they knew what I’d been stressing about only moments before.
Lou Wall’s Bleep Bloop is a pop paradigm filled with hilarious and embarrassing stories of life, love, mental health, and sheer drama. From the moment they set foot on stage with their apple green coloured tracksuit, I was captivated. Having an audience member shoot a basketball through a hoop for Lou to strip off their tracksuit, by the time they had done so and had explained the definitions of the multi-purpose phrase “Bleep bloop” (a saying to fill an awkward moment of silence that means everything and nothing at the same time), the audience were already willingly eating out of the palm of their hand.
With the concept of Bleep Bloop being the name of Lou Wall’s album that they had initially yet to write, the catchy songs that followed were ‘Anti-D Club’, ‘Soft Core Menace’, and ‘Short King’.
Being 6’4, Lou Wall towers above your average human, and so 90s R’n’B style tune ‘Short King’ was a cheeky but very sweet song that they dedicated to their past partners, a tribute to their current short partner, and was a blatant unapologetic love letter to being tall (the song also sounds hilarious with the auto-tune from the album that is on streaming services now).
In ‘Anti-D Club’, Lou’s 90s style dance track consisted of listing prescription medication, the perils of side effects, and shamelessly addressing their anxiety and depression. As someone who has social anxiety, I loved the way that Lou executed this. Mental health is not a light topic and yet Lou managed to share this in a wholesome, endearing, and light-hearted way with sincerity.
Throughout the production and told with an infectious smile, Lou Wall’s tales were fascinating, out-of-the-box insightful, uncanny, and even jaw-dropping. The way Lou addressed the audience felt very personal, as if they were just catching up with old friends. I felt very luckily being in the room and witnessing this show. The room was also filled with good vibes and felt like a safe space that I really didn’t want to leave.
The show also consisted of Lou sharing that they are a minor agent of chaos with 80s synth style track ‘Soft Core Menace’, but the true highlight of the show by far would be Lou’s Facebook Marketplace song. Accompanied with a projector to showcase a power-point presentation of the ridiculous things that people attempt to sell on the site, and with Lou professing of a tale-spin transaction, this had the audience audibly shocked. In a moment of rarity, it was Lou being taken on a rollercoaster ride of chaos, where both hilarity and absurdity ensued.
Lou Wall is naturally funny and every moment being in their presence while they performed Bleep Bloop was an absolute joy. It is clear that this show was cleverly written with unconditional honesty and so much heart.
Lou Wall’s Bleep Bloop is raw pop perfection that had me laughing hard to the point of tears and I applaud this tall genius.
Lou Wall is performing Bleep Bloop from the 18th to the 23rd of October as part of 2022 Melbourne Fringe.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.louwall.com
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/bleep-bloop
Photography by Jack Dixon-Gunn.