Live Review: Jurassic 5, Total Eclipse, Chasm Sound System, NTSC, True Vibenation

“No rabbit in a hat tricks/just that classic/rap shit from Jurassic”. With one chorus sang back at them by the first of their two eager Enmore crowds, LA rappers Jurassic 5 perfectly summed up their stunning live show.

That's not to say the show was devoid of a little magician's flair, turntablist Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark can always be relied on for a little showmanship, including playing a keytar fitted out with a turntable, or a drum machine necklace made out of vinyl and scratching on a giant turntable set up mid-stage. But mostly this show was about the four MCs up the front, blending their complex wordplay in near perfect harmony.

Before them, True Vibenation melded voices and horns to good effect. There's an easy charm to the trio that bleeds through into their music. NTSC played an AVDJ set that incorporated all the trademark hip hop visuals, graffiti, chain link fences and doing tricks on bikes. Chasm Sound System stuck to a fairly standard decks and MC formula while X-Ecutioners' Total Eclipse dropped hip hop and electro classics from the likes of the Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, Kanye and Snoop as he showed off his extensive scratching skills.

But really the night was about the triumphant return of the four MCs and two DJs known as Jurassic 5. Seven years after their hiatus, the group managed to put on a tight and masterful show, without losing any of the joy and exuberance that fans remember from the early days.

There were the classic songs; Jayou, Concrete Schoolyard and of course, set closer What's Golden? and tracks such as Improvise, where rappers Soup, Mark 7even, Akil and Chali 2na each got to show off their skills. Though they haven't committed to writing and recording new material, Jurassic 5 is a voice that makes hip hop happier and healthier. Long may they continue.