Live Review: Horrorshow, B Wise, Omar Musa

Omar Musa gets it started as we're invited to "come a little closer to the stage". Musa’s powerful bars resonate through the now-bobbing audience as familiar tracks from album Dead Centre begin the warm-up. "It would be a crime" not to let DJ B2 showcase some of his incredible mixing skills, which he does so seamlessly that the crowd warms easily. A brief appearance from Melbourne's own 1/6 stems into Musa explaining his campaign of changing Australia's signature culinary dish as single Laksa concludes a brilliant opening performance.

Elefant Traks' latest elephant B Wise swaggers on stage with a confidence that suggests he's been part of the herd for years. Unsurprisingly, hands are waving as No Questions demonstrates why sophomore EP Semi Pro has put this MC on the map. Giving us a reason to Smile as the laid-back track implies, Wise flips the mood for a final rendition of Risk It as we bounce to his quick-fire lyrics that he so eloquently delivers. This is a rapper on the up.

The crowd roars as Horrorshow walk on stage. An opening rendition of Like A Version cover Walk On The Wild Side promises this is a crew ready to rock the spot. With Adit comfortable behind the decks, rapper Solo energetically brings back old-school vibes from hit No Rides Left and to political track Any Other Name.

The sold-out room knows every word to King Amongst Many and, as the familiar voice of Joyride's chorus in SDRO lingers in the air, Horrorshow are most certainly in the building. After a quick pause for us to chant, "You're killing it, Gary!" (the sound engineer), we get a rendition of a brand new track that is nothing short of straight up dope. 

Dead Star Shine rolls into the familiar banjo chords of Walk You Home, and we're immediately unified in the chorus. Single The Rain strips even the most hardcore of hip hop heads cool, while new single Right Here invites Musa and B Wise back to the stage. Followed by tour namesake If You Know What I Mean, we damn well know what they mean as the crew close on yet another brand new single.

So confident and proud are they in their music that this is a crescendo at a down-beat tempo. This is why Horrorshow are some of the best in the country, as "…When they step in the house, got the keys to the city and just put their names on the lease".