Allphones Arena, Sydney
Saturday April 2, 2016 :
Aussie Hip Hop + Symphony Orchestra = Sold Out Arena.
This statement alone shows just how far Australian music, and in particular Hip Hop has come. And the crowd, parents in their late 30’s taking their children to their first big show, show that the Hoods have crossed the generations. It was a wonderful sight to see.
Warming up the thousands was UK artist Maverick Sabre, alone on stage apart from his voice and backing mixer. He certainly has the voice, and worked the stage and crowd real hard but failed to really connect. The crowd were there for other reasons I feel, and Sabre became the appetiser that you chatted through as you waited for the main course.
The Hilltop Hoods felt right at home on the big stage, and as they remarked, in front of the biggest crowd they have played to in Australia. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra visually added to the significance of the night, aurally they injected colour and depth to the Hoods’ thumping beats. I do feel that the SSO had difficulty cutting through the Hip Hop at times, and commented at the time that I would have liked to have heard them more forward in the sound mix.
Following a brief instrumental opening to the night, ‘Higher’, ‘Chase That Feeling’ and ‘Drinking From The Sun’ grabbed the crowd by the scruff of the neck and gave them a good wakeup. Suffa and Pressure criss-crossed the stage, spitting lines to the back rows of the arena. Then ‘The Hard Road’ hit and everybody lost their shit. ‘The Nosebleed Section’ reinforced it all.
Maverick Sabre guested on ‘Live & Let Go’ and ‘Won’t Let You Down’, while Montaigne delivered her ‘1955’ chorus beautifully.
With ‘Cosby Sweater’ and ‘Rattling The Keys’ dropped during the encore, it closed off a night where we all saw what we already knew, that Aussie Hip Hip, and the Hilltop Hoods particularly, have hit to top of this countries music consciousness.
Reviewer and Photographer : Kevin Bull
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