It seemed like Lyrics Born had barely left our shores, with Australia clearly ranking as his favourite international destination on frequency of visits alone. But last week LB was back, full band in tow ready to rock Producers Bar.

Only a few months had passed since Lyrics hosted the all-conquering multi state festival that is Good Vibrations, despite this Electric Light Hotel’s Producers Bar was rammed when LB took the stage. Arriving a couple hours earlier than his set I was greeted by a venue with good numbers milling around, and the side room being open is always a good indication of strong ticket sales, with Denorthwode inside it spinning quality hip hop for those who wanted to pull up a seat and chill. Moving into the main room is was DJ Dyems spinning classic hip hop.

Now not to cast aspersions on character, but Lyrics Born brings a different hip hop crowd and I’m not sure many had any idea the quality of tunes Dyems was dropping. I can say in my ten plus years of going out it’s probably the first time I’ve seen a guy comfortably sipping champagne in a tailored jacket while Big L boomed from the system; I love the diversity that hip hop offers. Following on from Dyems were the Track Team DJs, not normally as a hip hop duo as they’re generally known for their mash-ups and for their work weekly on Nova. To my pleasant surprise it seems they have a crate filled with hip hop gems, with the likes of *M.O.*P being spun and bringing appreciative head nods from Paris, in town from the US for a concert Friday night but in the club chilling to his west coast partner in rhyme.

As Denorthwode took the stage to announce the nights star, LB’s full band took to the stage. In a somewhat Roots manner the band played the perfect foil to the emcee’s energy, rolling the funky sounds between tracks and all getting their solo chance to shine. The real star of the band though is backup singer Joyo Velarde, she has a fantastic voice and belting out over a live band adds another excellent element. Although I have seen Lyrics Born more times than I have a lot of interstate acts he never fails to impress me, his charisma and stage presence alone enough to warrant his constant treks from the US and our attendance at his shows. The room was basically full for his entire set, hands waving enthusiastically as he went from Calling Out, through to I Changed My Mind and other big hits like Bad Dreams and I Like It I Love It. Leaving after roughly an hour on stage, the roar brought all of the artists back on stage, the encore consisting largely of new material from this years album Everywhere At Once and a solo set for Joyo, who herself has a debut solo album dropping this October. As he closed out his energetic performance everyone in the room gave it up for a proper entertainer, his sing song style of rhymes and delivery not for everyone sure, but his live performance will remain world class always.

It was a fun night from start to finish and proof that Adelaide can party regardless of the day, although I’m sure there are some sore heads around offices this morning.