The Herd ‘Summerland Showcase’ @ The Factory, Sydney (14/06/08)
‘Twas a Saturday night in which the Factory Theatre in Enmore was set to showcase Aussie hip hop legends The Herd. And ‘Twas was in aid of their new album Summerland, a special ‘Showcase Show’ to act as a prelude on their ‘The King Is Dead!’ nation tour which kicks off next month. Upon entering the venue memories flooded back of my year 8 school social, due to the vast high curtained walls and plastic cups littering the venue. But I couldn’t help be a little bemused at the initial receded attendance as it was stated it was a sold-out show.
Support for the main attraction included Western Sydney’s Rappaport (rapper, guitarist and producer), the latter who has just released his debut Show ‘Em That You Care and celebrated by throwing down his feel-good anthems with a political edge, showing richness, simplicity and live energy in his performance. Offering effortless flow and good-willed humour, Rappaport and his entourage assured us that there was much more to come from this budding artist. Interstate intruders Illzilla hail from Melbourne, but the JJJ Unearthed winners were welcomed warmly by Sydneysiders who much liked the cheek and sassy characters they saw onstage. Beautiful and clever rhymes complimented the enthusiastic hip hop beats plucked straight from Melbourne’s influential scene… not to mention those hot MCs. Yerp… Frontman MC Mantra headed up a tight rhythm section that set the tone for the evening’s big-band hip hop sound. Their ‘Cut Feet track did its job while the drum solo sparked a humorous punter dance off.
As the 2nd act wound up and the main lure were about to step up, my attention fell back to the dance floor and crowd. The place was pumping! I presumed the lack of attendance way too soon, it seems. And as the eight-piece hit the stage, being an honest nonchalant Australian hip hop indulgent, I was taken aback by the professional and modest talent of The Herd. Tracks old and new greeted the skittish Factory masses, with many being favourites and encouraging the inevitable singalong involvement to tunes like We Can’t Hear You, 77%, The King is Dead, National Holiday, Scallops, Burn Down the Parliament and Superweeds amongst a few remixes scattered here and there, along with their cover of Redgum’s 1975 anti Vietnam War anthem I was only 19. Although representing the hip hop sound, the band still brought the funk; Jane Tyrell’s jazzy vocals on Zug Zug gave a new dimension to the previously all-guy line up and definitely had everyone dancing.
The Herd are an Australian hip hop outfit from the suburbs of Sydney who formed in 2001, and make up the record label Elefant Traks. Unusually for a hip-hop outfit they have a full band format, which permits more dynamic live shows. Rthe band is comprised of Sulo on production and guitar, Traksewt on production, accordion and clarinet, Unkle Ho on production and guitar, Bezerkatron on vocals, Ozi Batla on vocals and production, *Urthboy*on vocals and production, Rok Poshtya on bass, Toe-Fu on guitar and vocals and the afore mentioned Jane Tyrell on vocals. The Herd are synonymous with political laden rhymes, environmental, social and peer related music, which reaches out and touches the future of Australia. In addition, they also make pretty god damn hot music with their unconventional set-up of three MCs, two singers, an acoustic and an electric guitar, bass, piano accordion, clarinet, laptops and MPC 1000s.
As unpatriotic as it may sound, often for me the ocher Aussie accent doesn’t gel well with hip hop beats; but The Herd have reinstated my faith in Australian hip hop. Premium in their setup, rehearsed in execution but still natural in their performance, they set a standard of hip hop rhythms and beats not easily surpassed. We as the audience were there in their presence as much as they were in ours, and we were all made to feel welcome. Can’t wait for their next tour, or album for that matter.
