On arriving at the Prince Bandroom, I realised this was the first time I’d been here for a hip hop gig in years, and I’d forgotten just how good a live venue it is. The smoky atmosphere, low ceiling and tight stage opening into a wide, dingy space where the carpet is stickier than a teenager’s bed sheet gives you the feeling you’re entering a scene out of 8 Mile (with the exception of the $10-plus stubbies). Basically, this was the perfect space for Sydney’s One Day crew to end their national Many Hands tour.
As with the last hip hop gig I went to at the Prince – Drapht circa 2010 – the main support act was Briggs, and I’m pretty sure a fair chunk of the audience came purely for his set. They weren’t disappointed, this guy rules. As far as I’m concerned, his collaboration with Gurrumul for The Hunt was by far the best track dropped in 2014, and he absolutely killed it tonight, working the crowd with his rough, in-your-face persona and dropping harder beats than you’re likely to find at any other hip hop gig around the country.
Then it was time for the One Day boys to hit the stage. For me, these guys were one of the revelations of 2014. Their set at 170 Russell was one of the gigs of the year and their One Day Sunday block parties in Brunswick are always a good day out. Unfortunately, they seemed a bit off the pace, not even bothering with the obligatory crowd-teasing encore. Some of the best moments actually came when they split off to do tracks from their individual projects, such as Spit Syndicate’s Real and Jackie Onassis’s Smoke Trails. That, and their cover version of Scribe’s Not Many, which was given a West Sydney makeover. But the real star was Joyride – the dude built like a line-backer but with a voice and dance moves as smooth as one of Fonzie’s pick up lines. Not only does he rap and provide vocals, he also mixes on the decks for Spit Syndicate and broke out a guitar for the One Day track History. No wonder just about every muso in the country – Briggs included – likes to collaborate with this guy, pretty sure he could cure male pattern baldness if he put his mind to it.
While I was a little disappointed with their set, it’s probably more to do with the high regard and expectations I have for these guys. Their tracks tend to be a bit slower and have more of an R&B element to them, so when you’re following on from Briggs absolutely monstering the crowd and dropping hard beats, it’s pretty hard to get the house jumping again. That being said, they’ve deservedly built up quite a following in their one-year together and for most of the crowd, this set was a shit-ton of fun.
BY EBEN ROJTER
Loved: Briggs/Joyride, coin toss.
Hated: Dodgy post-mix.
Drank: Sailor Jerry.
