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Camelphat
Riviera Beach Club, St Kilda
17 January 2026
Camelphat delivers the perfect summer session on a warm evening at Riviera Beach Club in St Kilda with support from Samantha Loveridge and Bound.
Bound set the tone for creating the perfect club atmosphere with their slightly darker, club‑leaning energy adding bite in the late afternoon as they layer percussive hits and moody synth work that get the dance floor moving in the heat.
Samantha Loveridge’s set balances depth and euphoria. Known for her emotionally charged progressions, she eases the crowd in with rolling grooves and subtly building melodies. Her transitions are long and hypnotic to prepare everyone for the main event.
Just after 8pm, multi-platinum DJ and production UK duo Camelphat emerge on the decks. True to form, they open with the gentler side of their repertoire with warm melodic house, breezy vocal hooks, and shimmering arpeggios that pair perfectly with the sun still hanging over Port Phillip Bay. Their early selections feel designed for the moment starting out uplifting but restrained, a slow burn that allows the crowd to collectively exhale and settle into the night.
But everything changes after 9pm as the sun sets, Camelphat shifts gears. The BPM creeps upward, the basslines thickens, and the melodic feeling of the opening hour dissolves into something heavier. The duo starts unleashing what the crowd had really come for with their most iconic tracks – hard‑hitting festival weapons, gritty tech-driven anthems, and those signature Camelphat builds that snap into drops with laser‑cut precision. The lighting kicks into full force, the sea breeze cools the air, and suddenly Riviera Beach Club feels less like a beach venue and more like an open‑air superclub.
Being on Aussie shores, Camelphat make sure to nod to the home crowd with a string of local classics and clever remixes woven into the set. Their takes on Icehouse, The Temper Trap, Tame Impala, and Dom Dolla weren’t just thrown in for novelty — they were crafted, reshaped, and given a Camelphat edge that made them slot seamlessly into the night’s rhythm. Each time one of these home-grown gems surface, the crowd erupts in a mix of nostalgia and surprise, singing along while still locked into the heavier groove.
What makes the performance stand out isn’t just the track list but the pacing. Camelphat have always excelled at building energy like a narrative, and this set was no exception. The progression from sunset serenity to nocturnal intensity reminds us why they remain one of the most respected producers in modern dance music.
Camelphat closes with their biggest and most defining track ‘Cola.’ The opening chords spark instant recognition, and the crowd erupts into a final sing‑along — a moment equal parts communal and euphoric. Even after years of global play, the track still hits with an unmistakable magic.
Camelphat delivered a set that was immersive, dynamic, and expertly in tune with the environment. They took us on a journey through melodic house, UK tech flavours, and some proudly Aussie‑leaning surprises that made for a truly unforgettable event to kick off the Australian summer.
Words by Michael Prebeg
