Hilltop Hoods ★★★
Qudos Bank Arena, August 31
Familiarity breeds more than just the proverbial contempt. In some cases it sires a grudging respect that in time leads to admiration.
The Hilltop Hoods: Daniel Smith, Matthew Lambert and Barry Francis.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Which brings us to the Hilltop Hoods. A potential flash in the pan in 2003, a force to be reckoned with by 2009, and by 2019 firmly entrenched in the cultural firmament with their sixth No.1 album showing no sign of running out of energy or imagination.
And it was the familiar which set the tone for a loud, fast and mostly fun evening of Australian hip-hop, starting with 2009’s Chase that Feeling. MCs Suffa and Pressure, aka Matt Lambert and Daniel Smith, showed their vocal dexterity and easy rapport from the outset, while DJ Debris (Barry Francis) orchestrated the beats and backing track with help from a drummer and a horn section.
The Nosebleed Section was also up early, the 2003 commercial breakthrough almost serving as a template for the hits that have followed. Evocative without being provocative, it’s arguably rap’s beer-soaked answer to Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet in its ability to conjure a sense of time and place. And it’s aged well, too, despite the genre’s ever-changing trends – the line about drinking Bacardi with Gaddafi is now answered with a wry “he’s dead”.
The good humour and positive energy went a long way, but couldn’t cover some disappointing moments. Guest vocalist Montaigne shuffled her way across the stage in a moonboot for the usually delightful 1955, but much of her effort went to waste with her voice drowned out.
There were similar moments for Nyassa, a backing vocalist for much of the set whose contribution was at times overwhelmed. Nyassa was first heard stepping into the role Sia made so memorable on I Love It – a daunting task – but came into her own on other tracks.
For the most part it was the Suffa and Pressure show, rapping both fast and slow in relentless party mode culminating with the outright bangers The Hard Road, Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom and Cosby Sweater. New material from The Great Expanse sat well in between the well-loved tracks of the past, and no doubt as they become more familiar to the crowd they will be as warmly embraced.
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