To have an opinion or point view of any of the Elefant Traks crew, you kind of have to take all of the Elefants as a whole, as each act makes a part of the greater picture. I’ve got a lot of love for anything Elefant and have had for a long time, ever since I saw The Herd many years ago at a free underage gig at the Palais Royale in Newcastle (playing to maybe ten or fifteen people). The thing I liked about them was that they all looked like they were having so much fun up there, just doing what they loved. As Elefant Traks have grown and received due recognition and respect, they’ve managed to retain that sense of joy and playful energy.

Due to circumstances beyond my control I was a little late arriving and only got there as Astronomy Class was playing; they are truly one of my all time favorite acts, ever! The dynamic energy between each member onstage, the tight synchronicity, and the overall package of hectically fantastic beats, thoughtful and insightful lyrics and general good time fun… well it makes for an intense atmosphere, and has all the tasty ingredients for a good night.

I appreciate Ozi Batla’s style of rhyming a lot, and that’s important for me when I am watching hip hop acts. If they really do what they do with conviction, and use the platform to say something; to actually say something worth saying. Ozi and all of his Elefant brethren certainly do both these things to the best of their ability, each and every time. Ozi and The Tongue worked the stage together, effortlessly and seamlessly. The Tongue is a firebrand and a volcanic eruption of words. Both of these guys rap naturally, it’s like they aren’t even thinking about it. To them, it’s as easy as breathing, eating, sleeping, and I guess – since they must pretty much breath, eat and sleep rap the music – it makes sense.

As for the amazing Jane Tyrell, I first remember seeing her sing while I still lived in Newcastle, when she was in a little band called Chi (they used to play at a pub down the road on a Wednesday for a while) or when she was a guest for Blades of Hades. Singing her soul out with that voice gives me goose bumps every time. She has always had an amazing and ethereal star quality, and it shines and grows more luminous with each performance. Truly born to light the stage, she is a superstar in my eyes already.

“Hermitude also rock my world.” I just stole that quote from Tyrell, as standing in the sun at Bondi a few years back about to watch them for the first time it’s what she said to me. Then the music hit me, and I had to dance. Ever since then I’ve been a big fan of Hermitude’s magic. I’m sure that since then, though, a lot of people have said sometime quite similar, as Hermitude certainly do move mountains with their music.

This was the first time I’d seen Hermitude for quite a while, not since they went overseas, so it was almost a little nostalgic. It was also a little bittersweet, in a way, to see how much they’ve changed, from a shy little duo to become seasoned and professional performers. My friend with me described it as “Sunday afternoon doing the gardening” music, and they do have that very jazzy and laidback feel. They took it back to the experimental tip, before switching it up into a bit of drum and bass, then added some honky-tonk piano. I just hope that their newfound confidence doesn’t make them complacent, that they keep on pushing the limits with their music.

Next to hit the stage was Urthboy, and it was great to see him get such a huge response, as he’s an MC with such impeccable talent, intelligence and humor. I loved his first album, Distant Sound of Random Menace, and he has backed that up with a solid, fresh and long awaited second album, The Signal. There is some sort of special magic with Urthboy and Elgusto when they play together; it’s always been a killer combination and always will be. Muph got up for a track off the new album too, which is one the best, and they all work together so well on-stage.

No one puts on a party like the Elefants.