Sydney hip hop duo Horrorshow have been bringing smiles to fans on a 13-date national headline run for the first time in two years. The local legends stopped at The Triffid in Brisbane on Saturday 11 June to celebrate their new EP Good Problems (released 13 May), supported by Jannah Beth and Khi’leb.
Kicking off the night was Sydney electronic soul artist Jannah Beth with Clarissa Mei on keys and backing vocals. Their poetic spoken-word and dynamic vocals immediately captivated with gospel elements and scattered percussion. Ethereal melodies and heavy lo-fi beats – often played with drumsticks on sequencer pads – coloured the blend of urgent rapped verses and soulful hooks. Call-and-response choruses had the crowd singing and dancing before Jannah walked down amongst them for a personal track. Clarissa took the spotlight for a song and the pair closed the set with catchy upbeat tracks to prepare the audience for the night ahead.
Fellow Elefant Traks signee Khi’leb took the stage next with a slew of hard and short bops to amp the crowd up. The young Brisbane rapper flexed double-time flows over bass-heavy beats with trap stylings. If you were there, you can be forgiven for feeling a little confused – the set and his prompts were all over the place, but it was entertaining nonetheless. This one needs no hypeman, spitting punchy verses and crooning melodic hooks with huge drops and halftime breaks. Two guest rappers were brought out one after another to a moderate reception, ending on a high with a presence beyond his years and more than a few new hometown followers.
The crowd was ready for the real deal when the neon logo sign lit up and Horrorshow emerged to upbeat EP opener ‘DMT’. After a very warm welcome, they swiftly transitioned to Bardo State closer ‘For the Life of Me’ before acknowledging the traditional owners of the land as ‘housekeeping’. Old favourite ‘No Rides Left’ turned everybody out and the whole room chanted the beginning of ‘How We Get Down’ as practise for timeless singalong ‘All Summer Long’. Solo got his bravado on for humble brag ‘Grain by Grain’ then surprised fans with their ‘Can I Kick It/Walk on the Wild Side’ Like A Version.
Known for paying homage to classic hip hop, Solo rapped the second verse of ‘If You Know What I Mean’ over the beat of Jay Z’s ‘Big Pimpin’ before shouting out his other influences with ‘Old Soles’. Deep cut ‘Make You Proud’ eased into two-stepper ‘Take It Slow’ and a ‘Walk You Home’ mashup with the newer rendition from the EP I Won’t Give You Up with Ziggy Alberts. The love in the room was palpable and set the mood for instant classic ‘Bill Withers’, a personal hero of Solo’s. After announcing the show would be Adit’s last in Brisbane, unexpected throwback ‘The Show’ garnered a 20-second cheer from the crowd.
Adit climbed the barrier for fitting finish ‘Push’, then Solo ditched the traditional encore-style closing by telling fans they still had four songs left. Fan-favourite ‘The Rain’ lifted the mood and had the crowd jumping for a cheeky live freestyle from Solo. Finally, ‘Yours & Mine’ sent positive messages before the duo ended with love song ‘Cherry Blossom’. Every single person walked out of that venue with a smile on their face and a decent lineup at the merch desk no doubt ensured the duo’s return.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
You check out our interview with Solo ahead of the show HERE.
Purchase tickets to the Good Problems Tour HERE.
