The night was incredible from the get-go as Drapht headlined Lion Arts Factory in Adelaide on Saturday (10 June).
Starting with Outside Lines to begin proceedings, they brought an energy and hunger to the stage.I was familiar with Kimence as a solo artist, but as a group it was next level. Clever rhymes, banging boom-bap beats, combined with Cate Dyer's powerful singing made for the perfect start of what proved to be an incredible evening.
Enter We Move Like Giants. It was like they had turned the energy levels up several more notches.
Live drums and keys, mixed with some phat triggers and a pair of incredible vocalists, they smashed through an energetic, emotion-fuelled set that left the crowd in a frenzy. A highlight was when they dropped in an ad-lib of 'No Scrubs' by TLC.
As much as we were all there for Drapht, I don't think I was alone in feeling a sadness when their set came to a close.
A short intermission followed before the man of the moment took to the stage.
Complete with a live drummer and a talented flute player (who also picked up the trumpet a few times!), Drapht kicked off proceedings with 'Shadows On My Walls', from his 2021 album 'Shadows And Shinings'.
From there, he ducked and weaved through a high-octane set of classics and new tracks.
A couple of highlights included 'Problem Here' (also off 'Shadows And Shinings'), which saw Drapht take on Complete's guest verse (and smashed it out the park!) and 'The Paul The Dan' (from 'The Life Of Riley' record), where we were treated to the infamous Trigger Trials guesting live on stage!
We all felt short-changed a bit when they all exited the stage. The crowd started chanting and they returned shortly after.
The room went wild as Drapht asked: "Who wants one more. . . two more. . . three more?!"
In true Drapht style, he left on a high note with a high-energy rendition of his classic track 'Rapunzel'. He literally tore the roof off with it, and the whole crowd sang along from start to finish.
With an artist who has so many albums, and so many incredible tracks, picking a set list would be difficult to ensure the audience is satisfied. But Drapht nailed it, giving the crowd a great selection of not only his new material, but a great array of old classics.
It's been a long road back to live gigs and tours, particularly due to the pandemic, but Drapht stepped up to the plate and reminded us all why he's one of the best in the game right now.
