OFWGKTA @ The Hi-FI, Melbourne(01/02/2012)

Thu 2nd Feb, 2012 in Gig Reviews

When LA hip-hop collective OFWGKTA last played in Melbourne – almost six months ago to the day – it was on a tidal wave of hype. They were playing the relatively hyped and highly regarded Vivid Festival, and easily sold out their sole date at the Prince Bandroom.

Tonight, from the outset, it’s an entirely different story. They’re here for the maligned Big Day Out, and the hype has considerably settled. A few weeks before the show, the venue is changed from the two thousand-capacity Palace to a venue barely one-third of that- the Hi-Fi. Notably, this downgrade means that they’re now playing in a venue smaller than their last show here.

With everyone jammed towards the front, there’s ample room at the back of the room. Even the balcony area is open- an extreme rarity for the venue. Passing fifteen minutes past their due start, four or five “wolf gang” chants pop up and Hodgy Beats appears a few times. At a full half hour late, photographers are rushed past and herded into the sound desk area before DJ Syd the Kyd appears. She plays a handful of songs, with Earl Sweatshirt’s Drop getting the best reception.

When the rest come out, it’s with considerably less impact than last year. Instead of storming out with Sandwitches, MellowHype (Hodgy and Left Brain, who’s sporting a cowboy hat) waltz onstage alone and open with 64. Tyler, the Creator and the rest of the crew join them shortly after, to a much louder reception.

Throughout the night, Tyler is cemented as the star of this band of rappers. Despite this, he only leads what seems to be less than half of tonight’s set. With so many members on stage, it’s perhaps inevitable that vocals will be muddled. On slower songs like Everything That’s Yours, Mike G is constantly interrupted by Hodgy Beats. Hodgy is the worst offender when it comes to abusing his microphone during others’ songs.
French! brings the tempo back up before a few members stumble through the acapella intro of Kanye West’s Gold Digger. When it comes to the fast drum part, someone bangs their mic on the DJ desk in what might be the best showing of musical talent of the night.

A track from the upcoming Odd Future Tape Vol. 2 is previewed before a version of Orange Juice that nears karaoke. Domo Genesis and Mike G take over for Benediction and King, respectively, while Tyler takes a break at the back of the stage.

Goblin tracks like Transylvania and Bitch Suck Dick, as well as tracks from the Radical mixtape (especially Tyler’s Splatter ), get big reactions. Disappointingly, the two best cuts from Goblin are two of the biggest letdowns. Yonkers lacks the deep bass that guides it, and Tyler lets the crowd sing all but a few lines. When he does sing – ‘And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn oesophagus/ And won’t stop until the cops come in’ – it’s drowned out by both the crowd and his company on stage. The other letdown, Sandwitches, lacks its usual punch. Introduced to most via an incredible performance on Jimmy Fallon, tonight they cut the extended intro found on the album version and segue into it from the middle of another tune. The gimmick that came with the song – Tyler’s green balaclava – is also missing. Somehow, the song seems less threatening without it. When all the ‘wolf gang, wolf gang’ choruses are said and done, a few people slip out of the mosh and leave.

Go Mike G brings about another lull in energy. It’s unfortunate that, for the most part, the others can’t maintain momentum when Tyler isn’t leading them. A noticeable exception to this is MellowHype’s Fuck The Police, which comes late in the set. Tyler pumps up the crowd; then it’s ‘four, three, two, one’ and the madness of Radicals. If only for the fact that the Hi-Fi doesn’t have low lighting rigs for the bare-chested rappers to hang off, it’s a slightly calmer run-through than at the Prince.

The crowd, though, is wilder. There’s already been a fight- over Hodgy’s hat- and
Radicals feels like the release of a lot of tension. It’s probably more than usual, too, given the relative disappointment of their other popular songs.

Perhaps it’s unfair to so directly compare shows, but playing two so close together invites that. The setlist tonight is very similar to that of last year’s shows. Again, Earl plays as the band leave the stage. Despite this similarity – or perhaps because of it – Odd Future feel slightly less invigorating tonight than they did six months ago. For those just introduced to this young collective, tonight’s show would have lived up to their every expectation all the same. Indeed, given the mixed reviews of this tour, the venue downgrade and the criticism of the festival they’re here for, mine were certainly surpassed.