Drawn to the Off the Couch House Party predominantly to check out some rising local hip hop talent, I left the brisk bring evening with a smile on my dial. Whilst the weather was less than perfect, there was a healthy turnout on the lawns at Carclew House, and I found myself quickly reminiscing of the old Artery Parties and previous Off the Couch events.. several of which I even performed at myself.

Drawing together young performers from a range of different musical backgrounds, Off the Couch celebrates the young musical enthusiast, and gives much needed gig experience to the next wave of Adelaide performers. Toting demo CD’s and varying degrees of stage confidence, this year’s line-up saw eleven acts over two stages, covering ground from acoustica, rock, ska and punk through to hip hop and even a dose of hard dance.

Caring precious little about all things ‘rock’, I was really attending for the four acts that fall within ITM’s scope. That said, a band from the country called Nutmeg were entertaining, with a singer who swung from Daniel Johns wannabe to ACDC tribute artist, band in tow… right down to the school uniforms. Adelaide needs more chicks with guitars, with or without their school clothes!

The first of the hip hop acts was also the shakiest. Young local MC Dialekt took the stage with fellow MC ArtOfficial (and an uncredited DJ). They were obviously very new to public performance, with Dialekt being the more consistent of the MCs. Their backing tracks were quite simple, and the beats failed to get the sit-down afternoon crowd up and at ‘em. That said tracks that the duo announced were older had obviously been thoroughly broken in, and these were their crowning glories.

I was particularly eager to see Miss Cheek again after a recent performance at the Rhino Room… and to my delight she stepped it up a level at OTC. The vocal mix was clear and crisp, her backing tracks suitably plush, and her strut and sass were in full swing. Delivering her attitude-driven lyrics and stage chops, she once again showed that she’s not an MC for the faint hearted… despite censoring some of her colourful expletives for the all-ages crowd. Miss Cheek raps about the objectification of girls and consumer vices, and empowers female listeners to wise up sexually and socially. Her powerful messages went down well with the mixed audience, particularly a group of veteran hip hop lovers who I saw later that night at TZU. On the decks, DJ Demize was clearly having a great time, and had the chance to drop a couple of extra tracks after Miss Cheek, and demonstrate his scratching form.

The surprise act of the day was the unknown quantity of DJ Acid Tone. Having heard nothing about this young lad, I was surprised by his tidy mixes and hardcore and hard dance selections. His knowledge of underground dance music is incredible for a lad of his years, and I was gob-smacked to learn that he has performed at over forty rave parties. He was even booked to play Enchanted this year, although that has not eventuated. He’s passed out three mix CD’s thus far, and is without doubt a little DJ with a big future!

December in Ruins and a brief awards ceremony followed, which crowned Miss Cheek and awarded her a free day in the studio recoding her next cut, courtesy of Beat Records. I look forward to hearing what she does with the opportunity, and ITM will follow her progress, so stay tuned. After the ceremony, it was local hip hop crew General Knowledge’s turn to step up and close the event. Supported by a tight and rowdy group of fans, MC’s Jabs & Detail showed their cool and casual style. With tastefully varied and bottom-heavy backing tracks, the guys have an obvious similarity to the Hilltop Hoods, no coincidence since they were the recipients of an inaugural recording assistance grant for emerging hip hop artistry, put forward by the ‘Hoods.

General Knowledge’s words related directly to the young male audience… raps about how they’d rather be rapping or partying than working for the man. Performing with a backing CD the guys had a bit of a rough run though, and ‘DJ Cd-Skip’ threw the pair out during several tracks. The lads attempted to freestyle over the ‘humps’ after losing their places, but the continual skipping of the disc brought their otherwise proficient and entertaining set to an anticlimactic end. The night had chilled dramatically by now, and the wrap-up was timely. I look forward to seeing this crew again and hearing their forthcoming full-length debut in 2006.

Carclew House has played host to Youth Arts events for what seems like forever now, and it was great to spend another lazy afternoon on the lawns, with catering by Chaos Café and a few other local stall holders, sporting their wares. I hope that Off the Couch continues to encourage other artforms to piggyback on the series of events, and continues this important celebration of Adelaide’s emerging young talent.