Live Review: Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Nai Palm

Spotting Nai Palm entering the front of Festival Hall not long before her set’s due, she and her backing vocalists are meticulously punctual tonight for an 8pm sharp start. From the jump, it’s clear she’s here to destroy the negative energy, convert the naysayers and baptise the initiated, flowing through the first cuts.

Having been sampled on the headliner’s second album Malibu and with ongoing support slots, Palm has been first on the dial-up list for international artists for a while now, and tonight is further indication why. Crossfire / So Into You, off her debut solo album Needle Paw, is a real vibe and the growing crowd respond well, with her backing vocalist subbing for Tamia’s So Into You part effortlessly. The transition into last track Nakamarra sung acapella is a cathartic take on the Hiatus Kaiyote staple. Slayed, as always.

Over the grime, sweat and worn leather seats of Melbourne’s old premier boxing ring, Festival Hall, there’s a certain expectation for adrenaline to pump around this venue. Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals are the perfect touring juggernaut to bring it tonight. Rising from darkness to a gold-flecked sun, .Paak opens the show the way he finishes it – furiously drumming.

Immediately, weed smoke sweeps through the venue and Who R U, off last year’s Oxnard album, cuts through the speakers like a platinum-pressed diamond cutter; it’s time to stunt. Queuing up chaotic pre-album single Bubblin, .Paak courageously opens up a mosh pit at the crowd’s centre as the strings sequence into the beat and pandemonium ensues. Bubbles slide up the projected background screen, punters mosh, a drum solo segues into the Kaytranada collab Glowed Up, which somehow slams harder. The R&B star crowd surfs and by the run's end, this crowd is frenetic. “Is everyone still alive?” .Paak quips from side of stage... we answer, just barely.

.Paak is obviously a talented drummer, having come up through session musician joints, producing and playing around Oxnard and Ventura in California, but it’s when he takes the mic and moves that punters respond most. His supporting band The Free Nationals have got to be one of the tightest working bands out right now, staying innovative and in the pocket. .Paak’s back-up dancers share loose choreography and even sing brilliantly at times. The band member introduction is a cute choice, each player's name brought up on the backing screen with their own basketball card and colour. Visually, the set is rich and vibrant with amber oranges and deep reds dominating the stage and projections.

A minute or two is spent trying to spotlight a couple in the crowd who reached out pre-show to get married, and when they couldn’t be illuminated .Paak jokes, “People getting married tonight, y’all getting laid.” His backing band gets to debut a new song next, then it’s more drum and keyboard solos that queue into 2016’s Malibu cut Put Me Thru. Maintaining blistering energy, the main set ends with the Kendrick Lamar-assisted Tints, which sounds super luscious. Foot stomping that could break wooden floorboards ensues before an encore of a clubbed-up Am I Wrong from Malibu and a heartfelt tribute to deceased rapper and compadre Mac Miller with their 2016 cut Dang!. Anderson .Paak has a monumental live show, and is essential viewing for anyone interested in rap and live musicianship. Here’s waiting for the next tour.