Pez, 360, Maya Jupiter @ TheGovernor Hindmarsh, Adelaide(28/05/11)

Mon 30th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

During the Adelaide leg of their Change It For The Better tour, Pez accompanied by 360 and Maya Jupiter hurled the smoothest yet ecstatic vibes into the all ages show at the Gov on the 28th of May.

After an unexpected line-up change, Maya Jupiter approached the stage to a restless and somewhat confused crowd. Dressed in a white dress with Aztec print, it could be easy to presume the woman standing on stage was a back up singer, however as the rhymes flowed from her mouth, one could tell that this headstrong woman was here to be noticed. Jupiter set the bar in terms of energy to which her whole set, kept heads and knees bopping with many oh yeahs from the crowd. One of the few ladies in the Aussie scene whose rhymes are complimented by her voice, its songs such as Phenomenal and Canta that mixes hip-hop with sexy Latin salsa, to ensure that her set is fast paced but melodic and laden with meaning. It is clear to see that she was grateful to be able to give voices to those who went without, even stating that she feels rich, rich in love and happiness but with an ode to women, refugees and empowerment; and a salute to Pez and 360, Maya Jupiter left the stage.

360 was next to take the stage (even though setimes pasted everywhere stated otherwise) the man managed to get even the trackie clad youngsters out of their seats and into the crowd. Comical song Facebook Fiend got cheers and laughter from smiling faces amongst the crowd and his own rendition of Big Boi’s Shutterbug toted the entire crowd doing the hip-hop wave that is commonly found at hip-hop shows. Energy levels soared as people swayed their heads to some funky, funky tunes. At one stage 360 stated that the crowd looked sexy as fuck which was when the mash up began, and songs that have been circulated recently in pop charts began to be used as backing tracks for 360’s rhymes. Some notable tunes were Jakwob’s dubmix of Starry Eyed, Tinie Tempah’s Pass out and Lisa Mitchell’s Coin Laundry, all of which 360 placed his own rhyming spin on. At the change of each song props from the crowd became evident by those who knew and liked the songs. Then as the volume became weaker and the chants got louder, 360 departed with one last spin, My old school.

Pez-zie, pez-zie, pez-zie was all that could be heard as the man known as Pez walked on stage. Having seen him in previous years, the growth of that man can be observed well before he starts rhyming. The tip of his hat covering shorter hair, signals that Perry Chapman, is no longer a guy that has come straight from the beach, like in his The Festival Song film clip. Opening with Lost reassured the crowd that although the man has changed, the vibe is still there and he’s bringing the energy to make people jump. Ain’t Got Time, These Days and The Way It Should Be, were all quality beats that got people jumping, dancing and moving in general. The lyrical work behind Heavenly was the point that made people take a step back and appreciate the man in front of them.

Next came the intro for The Festival Song, Pez began to sing only to trail off as the first line of the song was chanted by the all aged audience. But with a quick whip the track came to a halt only to be teased by Pez, stating that he wanted to try a new song first. The new track as well as Just Got Started were evident of the changes that have occurred in Pez’s melody making process, something that this reviewer is looking forward to hearing more of. Then as the tune that many people know Pez for, began to play – some were unsure as to whether it would play all the way through, however it did and looking around, the hip-hop wave was in full force. Closing with Shine had every member of that audience singing ‘change it for the better’ as they exited the venue. Pez makes rhyming sound as if his voice is a pinball and it’s bouncing back and forth before the flippers, something that can only be experienced live. A statement that manages to remind this reviewer that she’d rather go blind than deaf because nothing beats the experience that is live music.