Genesis Owusu, the electrifying Ghanaian-Australian artist, has a knack for onstage surprises

Stepping out to a dimly-lit Scotiabank Arena draped in a striking red suit, Genesis Owusu‘s look perfectly matched the ambiance: confident and crisp.

Opening for Paramore, the multi-faceted musician showed off his ability to stay versatile across a swath of genres as low-end hip-hop beats rumbled. Even more startling was the accompaniment of his “goons” – onstage dancers shackled and masked with balaclavas.

Lock-step in army-march choreography, Owusu and his crew created a distinct physicality of freeze-frame posturing. Throughout the 30-minute set, their bodies contorted at varying intervals of passion and expression, sometimes even enmeshing into one.

As for the music, deranged breakbeats and glossy RnB collided on tracks such as “Waitin’ on Ya” while the fiery-funk-post-punk groove of “Void” bristled with intensity.

Showing no sign of fatigue, even as things began to wind down, Owusu spent the remainder of his performance prowling both sides of the stage without missing a step. And it certainly showed.

As one of Australia’s most inventive musical artists, his presence brought out massive applause from attendees, steadily raising the temperature for the remainder of the night.