It’s an understatement to say I was pumped for this gig. I hadn’t seen Pegz in the flesh before, and having grown up on his classic albums Axis & Capricorn Cat, my excitement was only bolstered with the addition of lightning-fast flower MC Dialectirx, and up and coming local boys Mase & Mattic. On the decks was DJ 2buck, who provided sweet cuts to the young crowd.

Mase & Mattic are two young MCs who went to school together right here in Adelaide. And when the show became an all-ages affair, a solid young crew came out to support the boys, storming the front row and posting up nice and early. To be honest, they didn’t leaving me wanting, but one song that did stand out was Remember When. The triumph for me on the night was the quality of the sound the crew behind the desk were producing. Hip hop gigs for me have been a bit touch-and-go when it comes to microphone sound. But I could hear every word and syllable, which was pretty awesome.

Next up was Sydney rapper Dialectrix supported by mate and fellow Gully Platoon member, MC Joe New. But in between, it was DJ 2buck’s time to shine. Treating the crowd to tight cuts and breaks, his skills on the decks would shine through all night.

Once 2buck amped the crowd up, Dialectrix stormed the stage. The crowd were instantly smitten with his flow, constantly fitting double the required amount of words into a sentence. I was hoping in the lead-up to this gig that I would hear the track The Facilitator from M-Phazes’ Good Gracious, a song constantly on loop in my head. My wish came true and to put it simply was sweet as. Tracks like triple j regular Outcast and Gully Platoon’s Coat of Paint got the building crowd in the mood for a boogie. Solid set.

As I went to refill my beverage, I heard a huge roar, and the once comfortable and open spot I had front and centre, had all but filled up and the crowd looked like it had doubled in size. Everyone had come to see Obese Records’ main man. Pegz was joined on stage by obvious good mate and fellow Melbourne rapper MC Eloquor.

Arriving to a huge appreciation, I was surprised to see how youthful the man looked. Opening with tracks from his new album Bombs Away, the crowd were waiting in anticipation to hear those classic tracks that made Pegz a huge part of where Australian hip hop is at today.

They didn’t have to wait long, with Chechen Guerrilla the first of many to come. Pegz shortened most of his tracks on the night to fit his huge back catalogue into the hour time slot. F*&^in Wid Pegz, Back Then and Radioactive were showstoppers. But the real highlight for me was when he rapped a capella a verse of What Would Happen?, staring straight down the barrel of the mic. The beat dropped and the crowd were again wrapped around his finger.

The love Pegz has in this country is so apparent, especially when you see the next generation of fans singing every lyric. As Pegz left the stage, the entire crowd started chanting the familiar chant. Rushing back on stage, he was joined by his Gully Platoon members Dialectrix and MC Joe New. They banged out tracks like the dirty and tough Nothing To Lose and the politically-charged Bank Job.

The crowd did not want to go home and the crew on stage knew it. Left with only one instrumental on the decks, Dialectrix, Joe New and Eloquor had an intense freestyle session. They literally played until there was no music left.

Adelaide was treated to what I dare say will be one of the tightest and most satisfying hip hop gigs to come. But due to another huge hip hop show scheduled on the same night around the corner, only a select few experienced it.