Under the UV lights at Oxford Art Factory, a young indie crowd witnessed Spit Syndicate represent Sydney and (to get even more specific) Inner West hip-hop in their last – just for a while – headlining show. Nick, Jimmy and DJ Joyride, though only in their early twenties, showed a natural maturity in their performance that comes as no surprise if you’re familiar with the crew. Still, they brought all the energy, attitude and antics you’d expect from the youngsters.

Joyride opened the party with a respectable, R&B flavoured set, cramming in tunes anywhere from Kanye to Salt N Pepa to Erykah Badu. He threw in some tracks so heavy on the bass that some internal organs began shifting. Not that anyone seemed bothered. Rather, it served to get everyone up and at ‘em. When SS got on stage, it was apparent that no one had been partying to their limits. It suddenly went up a notch.

The atmosphere was that of a huge house party – friendly, familiar, and fun. The boys were lively and amazingly energetic on stage, given that the temperature was close to a million degrees. No one came out at the end not dripping in sweat and someone else’s spilt beer. The spilling of drinks proved a much-needed cool down for those in the mosh. Hands were in the air pretty much constantly, and bouncing was called for just as often. It was so hot in OAF that girls were ready to strip down and remove underwear. Spit Syndicate are now developing quite the collection of bras, thanks to some of their more enthusiastic fans.

They busted out favourites including Stumbling, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Everybody Move, Bring It Home and Disruption, where Joyride jumped up on the mic and revealed he’s not just holding smooth production skills, but also a fine voice built for beautiful harmonies. Side of stage, Solo from Horrorshow, nodded along and enjoyed a few private jokes from the stage. With three tracks left of the set, he got out there and helped out with Showtime. The finale came round and what else could they play but Starry Eyed?! This track played live in their hometown was off the hook. The indie kids were bouncing along, the long time fans and the “one-dayers” were all rhyming along, never missing a beat.

Though they’ve been out and about for years, Spit Syndicate are hip-hop stars still on the rise. They cultivate a perfect balance of intelligent, heart felt lyricism and party anthems and lay it over smooth beats and well timed drops. They’re backed by industry heavy weights like M-Phazes and Obese Records, so you know they’re here for the long haul. Their live show is rowdy and interactive with not a dull minute to be seen. Their love of their hometown is obvious and infectious and if you’re lucky enough to see them in that setting, you can’t help but feel at home.