Necro @ HQ, Adelaide(05/06/09)

Mon 8th Jun, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Heading to the door, we line up behind a group of young ladies in barely there dresses and stiletto heels. They couldn’t possibly be here to see the King of Death Rap, but apparently I was wrong. The expectent crowd of die hard Rap fans was broken up by the higher than expected number of skirts.

Adelaide’s own Damo opened the show, without his usual hype man Words by his side. His commanding presence on stage, tight lyrics and verbal attacks on anyone, anything and everything proving why his music causes such a stir. His set showcased the ex battle MC’s best work, including a remix of Hunters track to him. There is no question as to why Damo is finding his way on to more and more line-ups, definitely one to check out if you havent already.

Tornts and BigFoot provided an unusually underwhelming performance, great lyrical content and catchy beats (backed by BattleHogs DJ Kansel ) but no where near the connection with the crowd that the other acts enjoyed. By this time people were getting antsy, they wanted what they wanted and nothing else was good enough. Too bad that what they wanted was still on a plane.

Fresh from his arrest and subsequent cancellation of his Perth show, Necro and Mr. Hyde stepped from the plane to the stage. He and DJ Christopher Catenacci were arrested after ‘Destroying a guy in public’ for disrespecting him. 36 hours, $5k, a guilty plea and 400 disappointed fans later he was released to continue his tour, although somewhat subdued due to the damage to his knee.

Not for the faint hearted the verbal assault hit hard from the first bar with his brutal mix of death, destruction and derogatory lyrics which, strangely, some women in the crowd loved. This point was proved as the cut for Who’s Ya Daddy played and the ladies were invited to the stage, which then became Necro’s personal meat market. The statement ‘Hmm, Which one do I molest first’ should have warned the unsuspecting what was to come, yet there were still some who looked shocked as they were groped and exposed to the crowd, an act infamous at Necro’s shows.

Although his voice was showing the strain of the previous 48 hours, Necro and Mr. Hyde forged their way through his back catalogue, including Psih it to the Limit, Get on Your Knees, Suffocated to Death by God’s Shadow. and Do it (a track recorded with Chopper Read) with a typically raw and tight performance. After a while you didn’t pay too much attention to the lyrics, which are basically variations of ‘I’m going to kill you and this is how’ and concentrated on the beats and backing track, with some killer old school samples like The Zombies Time of the Season.

Although a disappointing turn out after the sell out ‘07 tour, Necro and Mr. Hyde poured their energy into the crowd who were chanting lyrics without missing a beat. Given the genre, the crowd was better behaved than expected, with only a small group thrown out before the show started. A quick lesson in Respect via Hand signals seemed too much for the crowd to grasp.

Many were disappointed that Necro left the stage quickly with some of the more persistent ‘Ladies’. Mr. Hyde however, took the time to meet some of the fans and chat to some local artists about the business.

It may not have been the sell out show of ‘07, but definitely one to remember. Everyone seemed to leave satisfied, buzzing about what an awesome show they had seen, while complaining, as I did, that Dead Body Disposal didn’t make the set list. Maybe next time?