With another week behind us, what better way to wind down and kick start the weekend than with a drink, or two, and some good live music? I wasn’t the only one who thought so as Jive was filled with people raring for the final instalment of True Live’s Keep Myself Awake tour. After gracing us with their presence as support act for The Roots in April, the final leg of True Live’s month-long tour found them back in Adelaide for another round. Ding ding!

The invited True Live supported act was one of Adelaide’s finest live outfits, The Levitators. They kicked into full force without so much as a moment’s hesitation; five band members filling the stage with their apparatus and sound. Offering treats from their latest self-titled recording alongside cleverly placed improv and new material, their highly infectious grooves quickly filled the dance floor. With dancing styles almost as innovative and creative as The Levitators’ music itself, the night was in full swing as early as ten o’clock.

Merging a little bit of funk and soul with elements of electro, breakbeat and drum ’n’ bass, The Levitators possess a style of their own. The keyboardist plays like a true Shaolin master, while the drummer and percussionist banged out the beats. A metallic baby-blue electric bass guitar took centre stage, while a turntable and Korg midi studio controller all linked with a mixer were positioned front left of stage. Aside from their own vocalisations, The Levitators topped their engaging set off with a local guest emcee appearance from EMH. He got up and got down to two tracks at the close of the lengthy set, with a deep and powerful voice contrasting with his slight physique.

Between the live acts, Free Agent kept the crowd moving with Common, Chino XL, KRS and Jigga intermingled with jazz, funk and soul with the bass turned up to ten. Audience members clambered to the bar while the stage was assembled for the head-lining act. At this stage the crowd was thick, although it still maintained an even balance. You know… Not too much, not too little- just right.

Headliners True Live proclaim themselves a “genre-bending concoction of hip hop, jazz and contemporary beats.” With this and good reports from those who caught them at the Roots back in April in mind, my expectations were high. Encompassing a towering double bass, keyboard, electric violin, cello, drums and microphone stand placed front centre of stage, we were in for an intimate performance on a now very crowed proscenium stage.

True Live, like their support act launched headlong into a fully fledged musical jam and set a lively tone for their set. The drummer then let loose into an energetic solo. He could have easily been mistaken for Animal from The Muppets or someone having an epileptic fit. The highly animated MC and frontman RHyNO comically conducted the drummer, even hitting an imaginary golf ball into the crowd. A bellowing bass solo came next, laced with smooth lyrical flows. The group then ambitiously perfromed their own rendition of Shadow’s ‘Organ Donor,’ pulling it off effortlessly.

The violinist and cellist each had their turns in the spotlight, while the cellist utilised looping pedals to create a layered, grumbling solo. The strings section offered the night a solemn element, a very different feel from The Levitators’ before them. Similarly, the keyboardist provided a soothing backdrop for some slow spoken word poetry concerning the futility of politics. From this, True Live launched into some up-tempo melodies which got the whole crowd jumping.

Personally, the highlight of True Live’s set was RHyNO’s daring five-word-freestyle. The hyped crowd, drunk on too much red cordial gave him some of the most obscure and outrageous phrases that were actually clusters of words. I am surprised RHyNO actually managed to remember them all, although he did playfully oblige the crowd for their creativity with a big “fuck you Adelaide!” Seriously, he did an amazing job which left me awestruck. You try to entertainingly and logically tie Lebanese mountain goats, beer is good, children playing recorder in school conspiracy theory, my nanna lives in Palmer Lodge and sasquatch together off the top of your dome! Following this insanity was a tribute to Big Brother’s superficiality and a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s Killing in the Name of.

As they played through songs from their debut LP The Shape of It, True Live’s audience showed them the love, singing along in full force. At the end of the night though, it was The Levitators who made the lasting impression on me with their originality and strength as an ensemble. Either way this was Jive at its best and a great double bill of live performance.