Reviewed onSaturday June 11
As the sun set over Sydney Harbour and the Vivid festival lit up the night sky, Luna Park came alive – and despite it being a crisp, clear evening, all the real stars were under the Big Top, settling in for an epic night of all-Australian hip hop.
Sydney emcee and triple j Unearthed feature artist Manu Crook$ kicked the night off in signature style. He effortlessly won over the early comers with his energy, enthusiasm and fresh beats. Songs like ‘Drive Me Crazy’, ‘Everyday’, and his latest, ‘Blowin’ Up’, set the tone for the festival as the crowd began to swell – the all-ages section was filled to capacity by the end of his timeslot.
Mallrat, or the self-coined “Hannah Montana of the rap game”, was up next and almost instantaneously had the audience under her spell. As she performed her breakout hit ‘Sunglasses’, the pint-sized vocalist knelt down to accept gifts from fans and praised the promoters for keeping the festival an all-ages event.
The king of swing Dylan Joel followed suit and got the room up and dancing, pitting left against right in a swag versus swing style two-step battle. Things got heated, but in the end everyone won when they were rewarded with an acoustic version of Kanye West’s ‘Touch The Sky’ and a medley from Joel’s debut album, Authentic Lemonade.
Introduced to the stage by Matt Okine, Brisbane’s Gill Bates is the new face of Aussie R&B. His set was short and sweet, but with tracks like ‘She Knows’, ‘Didn’t Mind’ and ‘Diamonds And Gold’ he left the crowd wanting more.
One-third of the Blue Mountains trio Thundamentals, Tuka came prepared with backup singers, a full drum kit and bass player, and blew the roof off the Big Top. He dedicated his set to lost loved ones and warned newly minted voters not to trust politicians, all to the soundtrack of his hits ‘Yeah Right’, ‘Nirvana’ and a very cool cover of The Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’.
Inner West Sydney stalwarts Spit Syndicate owned the stage, pumping out hit after hit including ‘Know Better’, ‘Amazing’, ‘Real’, ‘Beauty In The Bricks’ and ‘Starry-Eyed’ with help from their buddies in the One Day crew, before spruiking their upcoming album and new single ‘Inhibitions’. It all ended in what was arguably the highlight of the festival when the pair were joined by Tuka and the festival headliner Drapht to pay tribute to their hometown.
Art school drop-out Allday may not have been the headline act, but nobody told the crowd. His ability to command an audience speaks volumes for his natural talent and his meteoric rise up the ARIA charts and into the hearts of his thousands of followers. He wowed Come Together with an impromptu cover of a Childish Gambino classic and teased fans with a taste of new music.
With the crowd well warmed up, the stage was set for the man of the moment. As one of the pioneers of the modern era of Australian hip hop, Drapht showed himself to be a world-class performer. He mesmerised the fans with his vocal and lyrical prowess, with a combination of old classics like ‘Jimmy Recard’ and ‘Sing It’ with a bagful of fresh mixes, including his latest single ‘All Love’.
In the end, the west coast native left the eastern seaboard anticipating his first full-length release since The Life Of Riley even more – if that was possible. To borrow the wise words of the man himself, “Come Together 2016 was sick fun!”
