Grassroots Street Orchestra play to a substantial crowd at The Hi-Fi. West End is their home, and there is a lot of support for them here. Their sound I will describe as Gangster Roots- this made-up genre allows me to express their achievement of synchronised harmony between rapper, bongos and violin – among other instruments. Surreal MC has wonderful diction even when rapping at a phenomenal speed. I can still hear every political message, every rhyme, and his precision at keeping with the band’s tempo is enviable. One thing missing is the lack of chorus in many of their songs. The words are either too much or missing altogether, and a better balance between instrumental section and lyrics would provide more coherence and catchier songs. Regardless of this, Grassroots are a promising band whose set was thoroughly enjoyable, exemplified by the great crowd interaction by the frontman.

Next Captain Imon Star and King Home Boy give us a few laughs with their choreographed routines, which I have never seen before in a soundsystem act. Olmecha Supreme Soundsystem joke with the crowd, without warning stopping the music, leaving all flailing in their previous, now inappropriate, dance move. The New Zealand boys entertain us with their humourous songs (With lyrics like “I’m not your average samurai, so don’t confuse me with another guy”) and beatbox prowess (King Home Boy can sing and beatbox at the same time). The set is lighthearted fun and a crowd pleaser.

After a short interval, two delightfully colourful lace-trimmed, costumed ladies come on stage and treat us to comedy magic show. It is Kelly Vella and Tigerlil from the famed La La Palour troupe. After a few entertaining tricks, the ladies hold up a red cloth and moments later pull out a rather large rabbit – the man of the night Mr Laneous (complete with fluffy ears and a rather fetching suit). The rest of the band has made it on stage at this point, all similarly dressed in cocktail wear. The launch of the 17-track LP St.Ill Regal is proving to be a swanky black tie affair.

The Family Yah take no time in belting out a plethora of old and new songs, each one running from the next with Duracell bunny precision. The flow is like warm honey on a hot day. Indeed, Laneous pulls out all the stops, the set being in excess of 20 songs. Some are unsure whether it will ever end but others don’t want to see the finish line. They are happy to see this little bunny hop all night long.

One favourite is the track Dog House. In this one, you can tell everyone loves to sing “fucking and fighting and fucking and fighting and fucking and fighting, it’s all we ever do-o-o”. Simple but very, very catchy.

Similarly the rhyme,”you’re so cute when you’re angry, it’s like foreplay, I can make you hate me all day”, is surely one of the band’s favourites as I witness their cheeky smiles. There is no shortage of love songs in the set, which is a good thing, as Laneous is the perfect cute little schoolboy for every girl to have a crush on. At 26 he doesn’t seem to have aged beyond adolescence. Nevertheless, women melt at his cover of Motown classic You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, with the Bird Fire Choir of sexy ladies (and gentleman) belting out the backing vocals like Diana Ross herself.

But Laneous is no sop. No sooner have we heard the words “She’s so edible and all, I know I’ve said it all before, a sight for sore eyes, I know I’ve said it all before”, does a crass “Good morning hard-on, sit down” come from the saintly choir boy’s mouth. Complete with a massive penis prop (or rather a disguised hand), the LaLa Parlour ladies impersonate every man’s torment in the morning. This is hilarious.

Wrapping up the night is the soaring, beautiful and very popular song Searing Life. After the snazzy rap vocals of Loveable Tramp , Crew Cut and Bubblegum, Searing Life reminds us of Laneous’ beautiful crooner’s voice. It is a spectacular song to finish on, if they finish here.

However, it is their big night, and people want more. The whole family come back on stage for a second, third and perhaps fourth (I lost count) encore- sometimes prompted by the crowd, other times because the band just want to. They say how happy they are to be in Brisbane, in particular West End (“the 4101!”) and dedicate the last few songs to their beloved suburb and recently passed local Westender, the much loved Anton.

All up, the set was of international calibre. A shout must go out to drummer General Beats for her fantastic skills. The usual guest MCs peppering the mix also deserve a mention: the lyrical hystericals of Kel, Rainman, Yuin Huzami, Pesto and the beatboxing skills of Apex and the Olmecha Supreme boys, all making it a night to remember. Thank you Family Yah for another great set.