So I went to the Invada tour on Saturday right. It was awesome.

There’s a whole novel worth of stuff I’d like to say about the night, but you’ll have to settle for 600 words. Since Good Vibrations (and the heavy hip-hop direction it took), I have taken a renewed interest in the genre. I think it’s taking some really positive steps of late in Sydney, especially in the club scene. Artists like Katalyst, Koolism, Ru CL, Noodles and Fdel are doing major things for the Aussie hip hop sound, and it’s certainly nothing to be scoffed at.

Arriving at about 9pm I walked in and got to watch Noodles quickly fill up the floor with hip hop fiends. The thing I like about hip hop is that, in general, you can dress how you like, dance how you like, and generally have some fun. The Gaelic provides a reasonably intimate location in which to appreciate the music, have fun with your mates and meet some cool people, all of which I did on Saturday. Also, luckily for me, given the amount I drank, the beers were reasonably priced! Noodles played some fairly laid back tunes, and slowly brought in the bigger basslines and heavier beats. This is a man who has talent. His scratching was great, and his musical selections really got us moving in anticipation of what was to come later on.

One of my good mates has an unusual obsession with Fdel, and over the past six months whenever I was around him he was playing something by the West Australian. So let’s just say I have a healthy recognition for some of his music, though I’m still pretty rusty on the names. Standing behind an MPC and accompanied, not just be a DJ/MC but also by a guitarist and drummer, Fdel put on a real show and one which I would later rate as the highlight of my night. He played all the songs from his stunning debut LP Audio Fdelity and the crowd was absolutely loving it. At one point, Fdel jumped on the decks, and the drummer took over the MPC, while the DJ stuck to rhyming, and with only one screw up in the sequencing, I’d say the lads were multi-freakin-talented.

Katalyst was up next, and as usual played an awesome set, I’d love to give you some names, but I can’t because either (a) I don’t know them or (b) I have forgotten them. He’s a quality DJ and a really nice bloke. Not the best set I’ve seen him play, but it was fun nonetheless. I was a little disappointed with Koolism, but that’s probably only because they had to follow up from Fdel and Katalyst. Technically, they were awesome, with some wicked tunes and scratching, and of course the requisite tracks from their brand new album New Old Ground, but just not as inspiring (to me) as some of the other stuff I’d heard this evening.

I had a great night, and it has cemented in my mind a finer appreciation of hip hop music and a desire to learn more about it and support the Aussie industry. If you see any of these guys on a impending concert bill, I’d recommend you go and see them.