Knowing how tired and unproductive you are going to be the next day can make it hard to get motivated to go to midweek gigs. And (If you’re anything like me) the filthy hangover that accompanies the aforementioned “gig side effects” is never anything to look forward to either. But when you know you will be standing in front of Blackalicious, Spit Syndicate and Horrorshow that should be enough motivation for anyone to strap on the shell-toes and write off doing any actual work the next day.

Horrorshow had the job of getting the party started and as expected they did it in style. After what seems like instant (and well deserved) acclaim for their recently released debut album The Grey Space, Horrorshow have proved they can do it live buy impressing after a heavy run of recent local shows. Solo and Adit gave us bangin’ live renditions of most of the tracks from the album, and along the way treated us to a new track which also sounded excellent. Every time I listen to this pair it’s the maturity of both guys that really stands out to me. Solo’s lyrical content is at times astonishing, very wise beyond its years for being written by someone who is 20 years old. Adit’s soulful beats really are world class. They finished the set with current Triple J favourite No Rides Left which got a great response from the crowd. Horrorshow’s schedule isn’t about to get any easier; as they are about to head off on a national tour with label mates Hermitude.

During the break between sets there seems to be a problem with some of the equipment on stage delaying the start of Spit Syndicate’s set. After what seemed like quite a while DJ Joyride gave a thumbs-up to the mixing desk, the opening bars of Towards the Light started playing and Spit Syndicate hit the stage. Through continuous live performances the SS boys Nick Lupi and Just Enuf have really worked out how to capture an audience’s attention from the moment they step under the lights. Anyone who has heard their debut album Towards The Light knows the writing talent both boys bring to the table. Personally I think this stands out most poignantly on the track On and On which is a slower song I am happy they have worked into the set. I must give special mention to Lupi who was battling a loose chord which refused to stay connected to the mic. I saw it on the ground at least twice during the set but it may have been more. Regardless of this he showed true professionalism and never let it upset his flow. They finished the set with the first official cut from the album Here Today, Gone Tomorrow for which Solo came back to the stage to lend a hand. “Step on stage and make everybody lose it…” They did.

Again between the sets there was a big break, this time far too long for a mid-week gig. Though I am going to admit ignorance here, there was a DJ playing and although he was playing some great tracks I couldn’t work out if he was just there buying time for some reason (looked as though there may have been more equipment problems) or whether he was actually supposed to be playing a set for that long. Either way it was just too long for a Tuesday night and the thought of leaving crossed my mind more than once as it was well past midnight and our headliners hadn’t so much as even made the stage yet. The crowd got restless, a full beer was launched at the stage, catching the curtain at the top and emptying its contents on to a couple of unlucky punters below it. However as much as I dislike that act it seemed to get the desired result and Blackalicious were on stage shortly after.

It would seem most of the crowd weren’t happy with how long it took them to start the set but to Gift Of Gab’s total credit every single person in the room was back on side from the moment he opened his mouth ripping straight into it with that unmistakable voice. As per usual Chief Xcel was on the cut, they had also brought with them a couple of back up singers, both girls had amazing voices. About mid set they dropped Rhythm Sticks which had to be my favourite song of the set. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought this as the song finished to extended applause from the whole venue. Towards the end of the set Gift Of Gab announced they had a special guest with them. Not surprisingly it was Lateef who has helped out Gift Of Gab on his new Mighty Underdogs project. I’m not too familiar with Lateef’s work but I thought he was brilliant on the night. Lateef announced he also had a surprise, this time not for us but for Gift Of Gab. It was his Birthday and Lateef presented him with a cake on stage with a full set of lit candles. In the end solid performing saved what could have turned into a not so great night.

Overall I really enjoyed the entire night, but I have to say the running time of this gig was the only downfall. Needless to say I woke up the next morning after very limited sleep to a thumping headache and did no work as expected…totally worth it.