Lowrider, The Melodics,Nicolas Roy, Empire Rising @The Annandale, Sydney(14/08/10)

Mon 16th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

What can you say about these hometown heroes Empire Rising? They worked the early crowd at the Annandale like champions spitting out fast paced beats with fury and inciting a musical riot of foot stomping greatness. They even had the old man in the front clapping his hands. These young guns have a lot to offer and deserve to be heard. Whilst their live stage set up may be a little overcrowded (though they were contending with 2 other bands’ gear) they certainly sound as big as they are and are definitely worth repeat listenings!

The three-piece for Nicholas Roy rolled through jazz and funk fueled tunes that had the audience in an ecstatic dancing fury whilst evoking a little bit of awe. The highlights of the set would have to be Underground and This is How We Go Out. A tight sound, great vocals and some memorable tunes perfect for the Annandale, an Amphitheatre or booming through the speakers will have you dancing in your lounge room.

The Melodics lived up to their name indeed. Fronted by “Jeremedy” this five-piece revivalist hip-hop act had the audience swaying and clapping away as they edged closer to the stage to feel the force of the band’s solid sound. Highlights were The Weatherman and Pop Culture that had even the audience members who hadn’t heard the songs before, singing away to them by the end. As each support act had limited time to woo and inspire the audience, the Melodics seemed to flow through each track with minimal breaths but nice audience interaction and participation.

Lowrider took to the stage at about 10:50 and from the first beat the crowd were in raptures. The boys took the roof of the ‘dale and put the capacity crowd in a soul, funk and hip-hop infused trance. Lead singer Joseph effortlessly weaved his magic on the crowd and took the audience on a sonic journey Round The World and back again to the infamous Annandale Hotel that has witnessed many a great night of killer music such as these lads from Adelaide.

The strongest single of the night was Be Bad, from their last album Diamond Amongst The Thieves, which even the boys acknowledged was a little too awesome for words. The night was about showcasing tracks from their latest album and Round The World, C’est La Vie Street and What Keeps You Here were all high points on the night. One nice touch was inviting two MC’s from Empire Rising back on stage to freestyle during one of their tracks.

A break-down of one of their tracks that is purely for the live shows had airs of In The Air Tonight and their mini cover of Bomfunk MC’s Freestyler preceded by Eric Clapton’s Cocaine had the crowd in a frenzy.

You would do far worse than to witness these lads in action. It is plain to see why these guys have been so well received by the wider music community, supporting artists the likes of Alicia Keys and Lupe Fiasco. A truly transcending experience that allows you to forget about life for a while and be transported to music heaven.