Sydney hip-hop duo, Horrorshow, set out last week for the single launch tour of “Unfair Lottery”, the new single off their forthcoming third album Kings Amongst Many.
The bandroom of the Northcote Social Club was already filling up at 9pm when Melbourne local, Remi took the stage. The true hip-hop devotees filling out the place with snap backs and Obey jumpers in check.
Remi had the room warming up nicely, his infectious hip-shaking and clever rhymes setting the tone for the rest of the night. It was obvious that he was having an awesome time, and the crowd was happily going right along with him. The song ‘Sangria’ had most of the room singing along, and had everyone dancing.
Second up was L-Fresh The Lion, another Sydney rapper, and his hype-girl Mirrah, took the room to a more pensive place. The pair took the vibe down a notch with rhymes that were more concerned with message than a party tone.
His new single ‘One’ encompassed the set’s overall message, of peace and unity through hip-hop. He started his set with an a capella version of the song. It took the crowd a little while to warm up to this more thought-heavy content. But by about halfway through the set, and some stellar crowd participation/free-styling, the crowd was definitely more into it.
Horrorshow took the stage a few minutes late, and the anticipation in the room was palpable. The Sydney-siders, who are a part of the One Day crew along with fellow hip-hoppers Spit Syndicate, are still on the up popularity wise- so the punters who filled out the room were true fans, singing along to the classics from previous albums The Grey Space and Inside Story, and eating up the new stuff the band were dropping.
They opened with one of their first big hits, ‘No Rides Left’. From the initial beats, the crowd was going wild. And in classic form, the room was ablaze with smoke by the third song in.
Solo and his DJ, Adit, were kicking goals with the crowd. It was obvious that over five years of tour experience has put them right at home on the stage. The crowd’s love coming through with their singing back of all the lyrics they knew and faithful bouncing along to the new stuff they didn’t know.
The few new songs that were thrown into the set were complimented by the tried and tested hits.
There was a new spin put on ‘Thoughtcrime’, when Adit dropped the tune of ‘You Can Do It’ by Ice Cube and Solo rapped his words over the top. The crowd went wild for it, with good reason, the lyrics went with the beat almost flawlessly and only a tiny adjustment was needed for “I can do it, out some thought into it” to blend in with the chorus section.
Sydney songbird, Jane Tyrrell joined Solo on stage for a rendition of ‘In My Haze’. The whole crowd was singing along. Solo suggested the crowd form a choir because it sounded so great.
The set was closed out by crowd favourites ‘Walk You Home’ and ‘In’, personal anecdotes from Solo’s life that really strike home because they are so honest and heartfelt, as well as infectious. There was also a song dedication to Melbourne beat-maker M-Phazes, that references the producer’s skills and growing influence in Australia and overseas.
Towards the end of the gig Horrorshow got to playing the new single, the reason everyone was there, “Unfair Lottery”. It is the first single off their album, due out in August, and is exemplary of Horrorshow’s style. Adit’s beats and Solo’s words coming together in a simple and soulful way.
By the end of the night, Melbourne’s hip-hop faithful were left satisfied. From start to finish, the acts came out to perform and Horrorshow showed exactly why their fans love them so much.
