As the first City Of Verses branded show in well over six months, the team had pulled out all the stops for #7 with half a dozen interstate guests and the return of some Adelaide favourites. As always, the festivities took place at Viva, although it’s now renamed Live. The changes made to the venue look to see it continue to establish itself as a premier live music venue in Adelaide.

Arriving to the venue roughly half an hour after opening, the standard hip hop procedure was in effect; there were lots of tables full of people drinking. Behind the decks was DJ Bloop of Prime Records, spinning a good mix of Australian and international tunes all the while showing musical taste far beyond his young years. Taking advantage of the drink specials I chilled with an icy cold beer watching the venue slowly fill. Before long the evening’s host, K21, had stepped onto stage and was announcing the night’s first act, 1/6 & Urban Monk from Melbourne. Props must be given to K21, who has been hosting a few nights in recent times, as he always does a fantastic job.

1/6 & Urban Monk don’t look a lot like hip hoppers, but they know their way around the stage. They performed confidently enough over the Urban Monk produced beats, but they lacked material – or at least material that the crowd were familiar with. There is potential, most definitely, and it will be good to see where the young duo take their music over the next few years. Following on immediately were the new SA twosome of Progress & Finalcause, who together are More Thorts. With DJ Bloop back behind the decks, these two gave a quality performance. Finalcause has come along stacks as a performer in the past year, and Progress seemed to thrive as part of a duo (it was only the second time I’d seen him perform). They have a mixtape due to drop in the next couple of months, so if you like your hip hop aggressive keep your eyes peeled.

Illuminate is an artist still ridiculously young in age, but he has talent to burn. A familiar name around hip hop message boards since his early teens, he is clearly a lover of the culture, and it shows in the way he’s honed his craft. More than comfortable alone on stage, his set was straight to the point and polished. The newer music, not off of his sampler, in particular was impressive. Directly after his set it was time for the last of the Melbourne acts, founders of Pang Records; Mata & Must. For a duo whose music I have yet to get my hands on, I was really impressed. The production was fantastic and the way they strode all the over the stage, working off of each other, it was outstanding. By the set’s end I had made it my goal to track down one of the few remaining copies of their 12”.

Looking around the room I realised that it had got very full. Not full to venue capacity, but it was the best crowd I’d seen at a Viva show in a while. Behind the decks Trials was delivering the sort of party set you long for a club in Adelaide to play week-in week-out. A major factor behind the crowd size was the night’s next act, After Hours. The Certified Wise crew are much loved throughout Adelaide, and this was their first performance in a while. The crew have found a new passion for music of late, with the ‘Darker Days’ EP set to drop very soon. The area in front of the stage filled as they worked through a set dominated by new material, the crowd response alone should be enough to inspire the boys to continue performing, especially when the quality of the set they produced is added into the equation.

Headlining the night, and launching his second LP ‘Sacred Geometry’, was Perth’s Mortar, another long-term Adelaide favourite after an extended stay here in 2007. As you would expect, his set was heavily laced with material from the new album, which I feel is a lyrically superior effort to his excellent debut. With Trials behind the decks and Vents in the building, it was hoped he would pull out a performance of ‘Full Metal’ from Vents’s album, and the familiar beat kicking in was a highlight of the set for me. The other highlight was the emergence of Drapht to stage, whetting the appetite for his long overdue Adelaide show in May as part of the Obese Block Party tour. He, along with Vents, Trials and Mortar, ripped up the stage performing their verses from the Hilltop Hoods classic ‘Blue Blooded’.

The party kicked on inside the venue with DJs spinning quality tunes, although most people spilled outside and into the night after Mortar left the stage. City Of Verses 7 had to be considered a success, and I look forward to the next installment. It’s set to take place in late May, featuring Foreign Beggars of the UK and Australia’s own Billy Bunks. Can’t wait!