Concert Review: Genesis Owusu at Empire Garage
During the month-long North American leg of his “Struggler” Tour, Genesis Owusu ignited energy in roaches and fans alike on Halloween night at Empire Garage.
Written and Photos by Isabel Alvarez
Genesis Owusu is no stranger to Austin’s vibrant live music scene. The Ghanaian-Australian singer has donned his red-striped hair in Austin several times, having played both weekends of Austin City Limits in 2022 and several shows throughout SXSW 2023. On October 31, Kofi Owusu-Ansah, better known as Genesis Owusu, finally returned to Austin after the release of his sophomore album, STRUGGLER.
Before Owusu took the stage, indie-rock band Enumclaw established that Powerpuff Girls could be hardcore, too. The band dressed as the iconic trio and their scientist father for Halloween, but the short dresses and cheap party store wigs did not get in the way of their energy. In parts, it even accentuated it. Whether that be with bassist Eli Edwards, dressed as Bubbles, whipping around his blond pigtail wig as he headbanged, or with drummer Ladaniel Gipson, dressed as Buttercup, appearing like Samara from The Ring as he focused downward on his drums. In their second to last show with Genesis Owusu, they played some songs from their debut album and its B-sides, like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Fuck Love, I Just Bought a New Truck” in addition to some unreleased music, like their closing song, “Change.” Lead singer Aramis Johnson introduced “Change” with a heartfelt speech about friends who stand the test of time even as life gets progressively more uncertain.
At 8:55 p.m., the house lights dimmed as a monologue from Owusu began to play overhead. Blinding backlights traced the singer’s silhouette, and when “Leaving the Light” began, the crowd shot up and started jumping. Dressed in a floor-length black leather robe, Owusu sprung around the stage and started off the show with full force. From jazzed hand movements to unorthodox lyrical lingerings, the track was only the start to an incredibly dynamic show. The alerting lyrics of “Better run, there's a god / And he's coming for me” went hand in hand with the eruption of strobe lights throughout the song. As the song ended, lights centered to display Owusu and his cheeky smile.
Owusu followed with a call and response of “I don’t know what I’ve been told, I’m a roach until I’m old.” He then performed “Survivor,” an upbeat, unreleased song that had its end drowned out by soft rainstorm noises. Continuing with the backlit appearance, Owusu played with his silhouette during “The Old Man.” His movements were simultaneously animated and robotic, and brought a punch to parts of the song that emphasized its theme of being stricken by god. As the song came to a close, the lights turned off, and Owusu unfurled a glowing book to the sounds of another monologue.
The following three songs shifted the vibes from intense to doomfully vibey R&B. Kicking off with the nihilistic “See You There,” Owusu loosened up and called for people to sway side to side under purple and pink lights. His hands were raised, as if spewing gospel, while he softly sang, “You’re going to hell / I’ll see you there.” Next he sang and danced to a remix of “Waitin’ On Ya,” bringing its lyrics to life by waving his hands and miming a phone. Owusu danced out the song with yellow lights, transitioning the set to “Gold Chains.” Harmonized by the background vocal track and glitchy synth noises, Owusu let the word “gold” ring throughout the air when he sang it in the chorus, bringing a shivering feeling to the crowd.
After another book transition, he moved out of his alternative R&B songs and brought back some energy with “Tied Up.” Over a beat that emulated the tensity of a ticking clock, Owusu marched with claps and drum taps. Quickly, he started jumping around the stage and onto a speaker with incredible breath support as he repeated, “I’m the struggler / Ain’t no way to love ya” at the end of the song. Blood red lights transitioned to a rosy purple as Owusu sang “That’s Life (A Swamp)” and proved his penchant for solo performance. Despite being the only performer on a stage with minimal decoration, he filled the space with his radiatingly jovial aura and movements. That same lively vibe translated into arguably his grooviest song, “WUTD.” The stagnant vocals in the verses contrasted the polished background vocals and fluid choruses as the reverbed guitar and electric keyboard danced.
The concert sprung into high gear with the celebratorily existential banger “Balthazar.” Owusu geared up like a boxer optimistically entering a losing fight, but he had the crowd cheering for him, doing a call and response of “hey hey ho ho hey hey.” Moving from one anthem to the next, he sang “Get Inspired,” pounding his hands in the air and exploding with sporadic movements reminiscent of a jumping frog toy. In the joyously spiteful “Don’t Need You,” Owusu chanted the chorus with the crowd perfectly matching his aggression, as if they all had the same terrible ex. Even after the electric piano keys came to a halt, the audience kept chanting, “Could this be true? / I don't need you / I don't need you.” Owusu enjoyed this enthusiasm, encouraging them to continue. They paid back the love by erupting in cheers, which he amusingly started conducting to raise and quiet the cooperative crowd.
Owusu finally stopped to introduce himself and thank the Austin crowd for their appreciation for “little old [him].” He then talked about STRUGGLER’s role as an existential album highlighting humanity’s perseverance, or the “strength we all have that [he doesn’t] think we appreciate enough.” He then introduced “Stay Blessed,” the last single before STRUGGLER’s release, mentioning how he recruited fans to mosh with him for the music video. The second the song began, the audience's hive mind kicked their feet into jumps. He echoed the sentiment of his previous speech, launching himself into the pit and moshing with the crowd as he roared, “Stay blessed / Stay blessed.”
In a haze of white lights, he moved immediately into the next song, “What Comes Will Come,” welcoming the good, the bad, and the ugly while the organ piano rang. Hands in the air like a preacher, Owusu affirmatively sang, “I suffered at my least / What comes will come to me.” For the last time, he pulled out the glowing book, moved into the final song, “A Song About Fishing,” from Owusu’s debut album, Smiling with No Teeth. His singing felt like an old chant with its heavy vibrato, and the crowd joined in on the serenity by waving their phone lights in the air. At the end of the song, Owusu gave his love and peace, bowed, and left the stage.
Owusu returned for the encore to a stage flooded with green lights, and he pointed out two people at the barricade dressed in their finest roach wear. The singer invited the pair on stage as he started chanting, “Fear the roach / Love the roach.” Once “The Roach” started playing, the pairwaddled around in their roach suits as Owusu pounced on the stage. He called on his fans, affectionately called roaches, to join him in one last roach chant.
After an incredibly dancey hour, Owusu closed out his set at 9:55pm. The Aussie singer’s performance did not disappoint, and his unique mannerisms and vocals emphasized his owning of artistry. Having grown so much since his last visit to Austin, Owusu still brought an infectious energy to his every move.