I made a promise to myself midway through last year to see more live hip-hop. However I think I failed that one, as I don’t recall seeing any after Splendour in the Grass. It’s a shame too, because this gig cemented once again how entertaining live hip-hop can be.
I entered The Zoo – slightly damp thanks to Brisbane’s sudden downpour – to what I initially thought was only house music. I figured out though, as the guy behind the laptop thanked the sparse audience, that it was an act called Tigermoth. Clearly not the most engaging set I’ve witnessed.
Not long after Tigermoth’s exit, a series of projections appeared on the back wall – a velociraptor, John Howard, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The images changed between celebrities, political figures and various pop culture references before two figures in mop-like full body costumes appeared onstage. Think a cross between Cousin It and Bigfoot. I considered how brave the duo must be to wear such outfits in a notoriously sauna-like venue, even on a relatively cool night. The idea of performing in the outfits added a sense if intrigue but ended up detracting from the performance after a little while. After a few songs though it was revealed that one of the mops was Quan Yeamons (the other was Emilie Goegan) before launching into a cover of Regurgitator’s ‘All Fake Everything’. Despite having seen Regurgitator perform this song just a few months ago, it was certainly interesting to see it performed in such a different context. I think it may have even worked better with Disaster as neither member was focusing on playing music and could put all of their energy into the rap. Not to mention the fact that Yeamons and Goegan bounce off each other so well, not only interacting with the audience while they are onstage but interacting with each other.
Next up was American rapper Lakutis, delivering a short set of roughly 20 minutes before the headliners were to appear onstage. Lakutis has an enjoyable arrogance about him – you’re drawn in unable to look away, but at the same time cringing to yourself at just how ridiculous it all seems. With songs like ‘Lakutis in the House’ and ‘I’m better than Everyone’ it’s easy to not take him too seriously, but still appreciate his skills and charisma.
Das Racist took to the stage in full swing. The Brooklyn three-piece opened their set with ‘Who’s That? Brooown!’ from their debut album Shut Up, Dude. The crowd approached slowly to the front of the stage, the venue sadly only about half full. By the time the much better known ‘Brand New Dance’ from their latest offering Relax started, everyone seemed to ease into the show a lot more comfortably. The group hilariously introduced most songs with ‘We’re gonna do a couple more American rap songs for you,’ and kept the crowd entertained with stories about their first encounter with cricket. Their energy that is so well captured on record translated well live, with each MC being an incredible enigmatic performer in his own right. ‘Michael Jackson’ was the clear pick of the night, gaining the first real roar of applause from the crowd all night. The group exited the stage saying, ‘We’re gonna pretend to do an encore and we’ll be right back’. Keeping their promise, they came back with an encore of ‘Rainbow in the Dark’ which pleased older fans but left many wondering where ‘Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell’ was. This was only a small let down at the end of an extremely enjoyable night though, and hopefully the start of more live hip-hop for me in 2012.
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