The Coolangatta Hotel hosted an impressive line-up of some of Australia’s best hip hop on Saturday night (27 February).
Click here for photos from the show.
Canberra-based Citizen Kay opened the night with infectious, relentless energy. He puts everything he’s got into his performance: the room, approximately a third full, appreciated his impassioned set, but were probably not warm enough themselves to give him the response he deserved.
Citizen Kay - Image © Jade Hopley
Throwing a call and response into his last track seemed to wake everyone up and then it was over just as they started to want more.
Dylan Joel had people a-flutter with anticipation. The three-piece form a coalescence of hip hop with melodic, live vocals – tasty harmonies to boot – and a number of genres including reggae, jazz and a bit of pop, which goes down a treat with their fervent fans.
Dylan parades vocal agility worthy of a tip of the hat, and for a debut, their versatile musicianship is on full display. They work together to deliver a jubilant set full of nice grooves, light and shade and texture: swapping instruments and even having a dance. The crowd love it.
Dylan Joel - Image © Jade Hopley
Dylan loses me for a moment when he pontificates his disdain for self-promotion and encourages the crowd to yell “Fuck social media” amid a sea of innumerable phone snaps, mainly because he has a social media account he uses regularly. Citizen Kay returns to the stage for their final track ‘Swing’, the band and crowd sharing a great time and finishing the set on a high.
Headliner Illy has the women in the crowd all giddy. The room remains light and friendly. Spontaneous ‘dance-offs’ break-out up the back of the room, while half the room moves outside for a cigarette break.
Illy - Image © Jade Hopley
Illy is joined by a live drummer, which creates great texture, but it could be taken to another level with a full, live band. Illy is an honest and generous artist, and represents a small group of dedicated musicians working hard to make ground in a tough market.
Both his passion for his craft and his gratitude for his audience is visible, and he gives the crowd everything he can. Even with this injection, it feels like there’s a restriction of some kind on his performance. It might be the small stage, or an off night, but it’s hard not to compare the level of inherent passion in Citizen Kay’s show that unfortunately leaves Illy looking second best.
Illy - Image © Jade Hopley
A Triple J poster-boy, Illy takes a moment to thank the station for their support of his career before jumping into his now famous Like A Version track, which the crowd goes nuts for. This heats the room up and Illy seems to settle into his own at this point.
He ticks off all the favourites including ‘It Can Wait’, ‘One For The City’, and his new track ‘Swear Jar’: a social commentary with tongue-in-cheek delivery that fans have fun with. He’s obviously self-aware, discerning and fully aware of the constant suggestion in crowd about his sex appeal but he doesn't play to it. He’s focused on the music and his message, which I thoroughly respect, and I’m sure his male fans appreciate.
Illy - Image © Jade Hopley
Illy’s lyrics suggest bigger ambitions than the stages he's performing on. He’s on a mission to make his mark in his field and he’s doing it right. He knows how to capture an audience, and he’s talking about social issues that resonate with us all, while still taking his moment to have fun and create some killer Aussie favourites, none a better than ‘Tightrope’, which he ends his three-song encore with, and ultimately the whole night with a bang.
This line-up did Aussie hip hop proud.
Click here for more photos from the show.
