The wonderful fortnight of Splendour in the Grass sideshows continued last night with the sole international hip hop artist to get a spot on the lineup: Canada’s K-OS. Catching him briefly at Splendour and being blown away by his set at Good Vibrations many years ago, I had eagerly anticipated his sideshow.
I arrived at the venue just as Melbourne duo Polo Club were finishing up their half hour set. While I got the “much of the same” feeling from the little I heard, I was impressed by the stage presence of MC Dyl Thomas. In spite of a small crowd giving them little energy, he and Cam Chapman made the most of it and had a great time on the stage, amping the crowd up for the acts still to come. He even threw in a cover of “A Milli” by Lil’ Wayne. Surprisingly, it wasn’t well received, but he did a good job of it. As such, he definitely borrows a vibe from his American counterparts, rather than his Australian rivals – so you’d place Polo Club alongside Cool Kids, rather than, say, Ozi Batla. It still wasn’t all my cup of tea, but I can see both their appeal and potential, and fans of hip hop should keep their eyes on these up and coming talents.
DJ Flagrant took us through the 45 minute interlude with a great mix of Hip Hop tunes – plenty of the standards (KRS-ONE, Tribe, The Roots etc.) alongside some underground favourites. But when the music subsided, and the stage curtains opened, all you could hear were the loud cheers from the fans in the crowd. It seems that K-OS attracts a small, but dedicated following in Sydney, and they were all here tonight to champion the Canadian icon.
Our cheers were slowly drowned out as his four piece band made their way onto the stage, a loud sitar riff serving as their introduction, and an appropriate “News Team! Assemble” Anchorman sample seeing them assume the position. K-OS smoothly snuck onto the stage a few moments later, dressed in several layers of clothing, which he’d gradually remove throughout the set, as the stage and the room in front of him heated up.
He may be a man of the hip hop tongue, but he is born out of the many genres which came before – the funk of James Brown, the rock of Led Zeppelin and the inspiration of The Beatles. He makes no effort to hide these influences, and they are scattered throughout his set – both through brief covers and the samples for his original pieces.
Throughout the evening, K-OS (real name Kevin Brereton) flowed seamlessly between his own tracks and the classics of his genre and others. “Catdiesel”
got a intro by “O.P.P.”, his now classic single “Sunday Morning” had a
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” interlude, while “Heaven Only Knows” had the
backing riffs of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”. Phantom Planet’s
“California” even got a listen in, with “California” replaced by
“Sydney” and “Australia”, and a little bit of freestyling. This was
used to flawlessly introduce recent single“I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman”, which set the crowd off!
He may rhyme, freestyle and even beatbox, but he’s also a man who can use much more than just the mic, bringing out the harmonica for a couple of tracks. This included “Valhalla”, a live favourite which was pulled out early in the routine. “Electrik Heat” also got an early play, and we’d later see K-OS whip out the keys and the guitar, too. A man of many talents, all on display for us tonight!
Other highlights of the evening included “Superstarr”, “Zambony” and “Burning Bridges”. I was surprised “4 3 2 1” didn’t get a play, however he did provide a fantastic mix of new and old tracks in the hour and a bit he graced us in these intimate surrounds. Returning for a brief encore, K-OS set us on our way with “Man I Used To Be”, and I couldn’t help but leave the venue highly satisfied. This is a man who can control the room, own the stage, and make some seriously wonderful music – and when the crowd responds to this, you just can’t help but get swept up in it.
