Beck's Festival Bar feat. De La Soul @ Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney (08/01/08)
There’s something about the Beck’s Festival Bar that can make a school night feel instantly like a Saturday. It helps that tonight boasts a line-up that could fill a venue twice the size of the Hyde Park Barracks. Festival sets are all well and good, but put People Under The Stairs and De La Soul in an intimate space with a sold-out crowd of hip hop fans and they really come alive.
It was cool to see Thes One and Double K gallantly toiling to whip up a vibe at Field Day, but here they don’t have to work for the cheers. Their set-up is decidedly no-frills, with Double K acting as both DJ and MC, and the show is better for it. The Los Angeles duo really are hip hop’s ‘Odd Couple’ – where Thes One is all twitchy, livewire energy and his partner a solid foundation, both in voice and stature. They trade off each other with the ease of old buddies, never forgetting to keep the party on-side. Tracks from Stepfather are weighted towards the start of the set, keeping classics like San Francisco Knights for the final punch. People Under The Stairs is the ultimate good-time act, and there’s probably no better way to prime a crowd for De La Soul.
When Pos, Dave and Maseo bound onstage, the whole tent starts to heave. We’ve been treated to enough De La Soul tours to know how consummately they command a room, but tonight is a reminder of their finely-tuned humour. This is a funny performance, and how many hip hop gigs can you say that about? From Pos and Dave’s contest to see which side of the room is “livest” to Dave’s continued requests for “more wine”, you find yourself laughing while you bounce. It’s a cliché, but their sense of fun is infectious.
With a whole lotta love in the air, the trio journey through their back catalogue, playing off the crowd’s fervour for oldies like The Magic Number and Saturdays. Dave reveals that the group’s Perth show had been a good one, but fans had booed when Sydney was mentioned. With the cat amongst the pigeons, the MCs manipulate the interstate rivalry with sharp wit. You’ve heard all the hype tactics before, but somehow De La Soul bring a freshness to the same ‘ol.
When ITM interviewed Pos recently, he hinted that the group had begun work on a new album, and there’s at least one previously unheard track that brought the house down. Grinning from behind the decks, Maseo is a fine ringmaster, occasionally strolling out to join the MCs on the mic. A double whammy encore – Ring Ring Ring and Me Myself and I – is greeted by a stage invasion of ladies. Once again, what could’ve been lame absolutely works in the context.
After the show, a female throng pursues the trio to their mini-van. You can hardly blame them. This balmy night proved De La Soul are still on top of their game – with sense of humour intact.
