On the road to promote their new album Sunday Gentlemen, Western Sydney’s Spit Syndicate rolled into ‘Burn City’ for a rowdy and sold-out show at the Northcote Social Club.
The duo’s third studio album is their most mature and accomplished so far, and while they haven’t yet achieved the popularity or mainstream recognition of some of their contemporaries in Australia’s flourishing hip-hop scene, the packed venue was testament to their growing and dedicated fan-base.
Local boy Mikey Hundred kicked things off, setting the tone for the night with an edgy and energetic performance. Despite initially looking nervy and uncomfortable on stage, and with supporting MC Brosche at times struggling to stay in synch, the youngsters grew into their set, becoming increasingly confident and sharp as the crowd grew.
While a poorly judged cover of Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean’s recent hit ‘Clique’ fell painfully flat, their original material was well received, with the appealing ‘Carry You’ (featuring stunning guest vocals from Ella Francis) and the grimy ‘Crossbones’ particular highlights.
Hailing from the same One Day Crew as Spit Syndicate, Jackie Onassis have built an impressive following since releasing their 2012 debut EP Holiday, and were almost as eagerly anticipated as the headliners.
The duo bases their live show on raw exuberance, and on this evidence it’s hard to find fault with their philosophy. Their set was infectiously upbeat, with MC Kai Tan’s relentlessly fast-paced delivery driving through a mix of cruisey and melodic tracks.
Delicately melding elements of gentle piano, thumpy bass, horn stabs and synth, the backing tracks from Raph Dixon were equally impressive, supporting and lifting the duo’s songs, without straying into over-production.
Mash-ups of Grizzly Bear’s ‘Two Weeks’ and Flume’s ‘Holdin On’ drew a huge reception, before popular single ‘Crystal Balling’ provided a spectacularly frenetic finale and left the crowd fired up for the main event to come.
Frequent Spit Syndicate partner and DJ Joyride kept the party going, spinning some Australian hip-hop classics through the interval, before the lads themselves bounded on stage.
Seven years and three albums in, Spit Syndicate have developed an effortlessly engaging stage presence, along with an enviable back-catalogue, giving their live show a polished and flowing vibe.
With Joyride providing both backing tracks and vocals, they ripped through a set of old and new favourites, with tracks such as ‘Starry Eyed’, ‘Pretty Girls Make Graves’ and ‘Crooks And Crimescenes’ off sophomore album Exile standing out.
At their best, Spit Syndicate are both lyrical and charming, qualities that come together perfectly on recent single ‘Folly’, with its ridiculously catchy chorus prompting the first sing-along of the night from the pulsating crowd.
The party atmosphere went up a gear when Melbourne MC Illy came on for a commanding performance of the heartfelt and hard-hitting ‘Lost In Translation’, and kept on building as Jackie Onassis burst back out to the overflowing stage for a couple of festive collaborative numbers.
Called back for an encore, the boys closed the night with the formidable double of lead single ‘Beauty In The Bricks’ and the crowd-pleasing ‘Showtime’, a track appropriately dedicated to good times and good nights.
