How we rocked Adelaide

Obligatory cockiness aside, we killed it! It was about two months in the planning, cold emails to countless Adelaide venues, co-starring bands juggled and locked in. Then the long weekend of Ballarat show, to James's in Coburg, final rehearsals and laughs. We're happy to be at the stage of getting a little bored with running the same songs.

Flight from Melbs to Ads Saturday morning, Christmas Pageant not withstanding. 5pm. Show up at the club. Will it be one of those ones where crucial people are completely disorganised? Thank Gosh no it won't. Sound tech Lisa is already there sussing out the situation, what gear have we got to play with? She's showing a genuine interest in our sound rather than the base line apathy we've found in many a sound tech before. Awesome! Dudes are sound checking, hand shakes and back slapping. I leave at about 7 with Matchless Gift and his V High P clique in Lisa's sound, safe hands. Off to James's Mum's for some chops.

9.20 arrive back. The place is empty. Hmmmmm. What can you do? We contemplate not making enough on the door to cover the sound tech as per venue agreement. Whatevs though right?

Matt and crew drift in. Other randoms in the shadows. Something's happening. The prodigious DJ Snair casually starts massaging records upon the altar. Phenomenal cuts. Heads are nodding, more people are drifting in like one of those medieval court performances for an illusive monarch.

Matt and co are on. New shit I haven't heard before. Rhymes are blazing, Snare in his element. Heads nodding harder, a few cheers begin to erupt. It's looking like a good crowd now, earlier concerns no longer exist.

Now it's us. That awkward moment when you have to take control of a room. Will they respond? Ah who gives a shit. YYYEEEAAAAHHHHHSSSS ADELAIDE IN THE HOOOOUUSSE!!!! I boom, and hear some distant but distinct woos of encouragement. We start slamming. I start to realise that we're killing it.

The rhymes are crisp. The beats seem to be making the sound system have a perpetual messy orgasm... As if crying in equal parts pleasure and pain.

I can hear my words clear and honest, riding within the beats like a surfer on continual waves of sound. Then despite the roaring system, and my booming voice, and the harsh acoustics of the small room, I can hear people listening. Intently. My mind is talking like a TV control room director, "okay now cut to second verrrsse aaaaannnd GO!" I try to get those tingles happening in my body, there's emotion in my voice. Innermost stories and thoughts at some points I could almost break down in cathartic tears through the subject matter. But I don't. Just a slight tremor in my voice. Heads nodding, smiles, inquisitive silhouettes at the door of the room as if to say, "hello what's happening in here?"

One of my goals in this performance was to make like a proper emcee, and in doing so, get people to loose or even just loosen their inhibitions. I see this happening as people yell out at the conclusion of certain verses, as if having followed my train of thought
from start to end.

It's over. It's happened. I feel galvanised. I want to do it again, to write tighter verses. It will happen. This is just the start. Word life.