While the rest of The Workers Club has undergone a spit-shine in recent years, the grimy little bandroom has seen only minor changes since its days as the Rob Roy Hotel. It pretty much always feels as if you’re seeing a gig in someone’s garage, albeit someone’s super pimped-out garage with beer on tap. These days, The Workers attracts both established and up-and-coming acts, and this tour stop from Adelaide hip hop legends The Funkoars offered a bit of both.
Tonight’s supports were Melbourne outfit Grey Yard, South Melbourne boy Eloji, and Mathas from WA. Eloji is one to watch out for. His easy rhymes over smooth R&B beats tickled in a spot your average feather cannot reach, and the dude’s got some serious freestyle skills to boot. Mathas was also phenomenal. He’s a pretty rare unit. A dishevelled-looking hombre who plays all of his backing beats out of an old-school briefcase, sells his music on USB sticks, and raps about everything from alien abduction to processed foods. His line “what the fuck’s a riboflavin?” from White Sugar hands-down takes out lyric of the night.
As good as those other boys were, the major props go to the guys responsible for selling out two Melbourne club shows. The Funkoars are true veterans of the local scene – hell, they’ve been kicking it together since last century. Even casual fans of the genre will recognise a couple of Funkoars tracks, or at least recognise MC Trials from his numerous collaborations (The Light You Burned by the Hillltop Hoods is a personal favourite). By their own admission, aside from the track Larry Emdur, these guys don’t really rap about anything too substantial, other than being loose. That being said, what they do, they do well, and they will definitely get the house jumping in the process. Trials, Sesta and Hons bounce off each other’s energy and have a knack or putting together sample/ hook combos that are catchier than swine flu.
While I particularly dug The Hangover early in the set, the better known tracks such Where I Am and What’s Your Malfunction sent the diehard fan next to me into spasms (in a good way, I think). The real high points were the Vita Brits challenge, where they got a couple of audience members on stage during The Greatest Hit to go head-to-head in an eating contest; and the freestyle session, where they got all of the supports and some special guests to cut loose over Total Eclipse, Sesta, and Trials’ beats. For anyone who likes to cut loose, The Funkoars are for you.
BY EBEN ROJTER
Loved: Mathas’ support set.
Hated: Missing most of Grey Yard.
Drank: Edge Red Ale.
