Coming off their previously successful comeback tour earlier this year, which saw the genre-defying rhythm and vibes outfit gaining sell-out crowds across the Australia, the Melbourne locals returned home to once again to preach the hip-hop word.
Providing support for the Melbournians on the night was the soulful sounds of Darwin-based electronic soul duo Sietta, giving early attendees a stellar musical showcase, featuring tracks off their latest Elefant Traks release, The Seventh Passenger.
Kicking off their set with some articulate acoustic melodies, Sietta hypnotised the crowd with their unique blend of power soul, provided by the talented expressive vocals of Caiti Baker. Providing the groove close by on bass, James Mangohig kept the rhythm which rippled through the appreciative crowd as they moved and grooved through the setlist, which even featured a d-floor populating cover of Marcy Playground hit, ‘Sex And Candy’.
Those who missed Sietta should be kicking themselves. Support slot they may be, but undoubtedly a headline quality performance.
A modest, yet eager crowd awaited the arrival of the hometown favourites, made up of Joelistics, Seed MC with Paso Bionic turning the vinyl and beat crafter Yeroc keeping the tunes rolling from the rear.
Bursting onto the stage with their latest single ‘Beginning Of The End’, the group announced their arrival in energetic and enthusiastic fashion, encouraging some crowd involvement with a gestured side to side sway.
Hit single ‘Beautiful’ was an immediate follow up, and infected crowd members in a ritual-like chant during the chorus. The addition of some disco-styled lighting introduced long time TZU fans to their recent genre-shifting direction, which has recently led the group to experiment with more electronic based productions.
It was inevitable, that at some stage, Joelistics would put the question to the crowd: “Do you guys wanna hear some TZU classics?” Without pause, the opening vinyl scratch of ‘Back Up!’ sent shivers down the spine of everyone that has followed the band for their 4 album legacy, left to reminisce about the early days of TZU.
It was clear the MCs were enjoying playing their yesteryear hits as much as the crowd enjoyed swaying around to them.
In a short intermission, Yeroc took the reins, pumping out some electrobeats on the drum sampler, finally building towards the introduction of some more TZU classics.
Crowd anthems ‘Got To Do’ and Position Correction favourite ‘Summer Days’ once again induced a hypnotic echo of audience member lyric dictation. Paso Bionic displayed some turntabilist talent during the breakdown toward the end of ‘Summer Days’, which introduced new TZU fans to the group’s extensive range of musical talents
The introduction of an acoustic guitar could mean only one thing; cover time. Seed MC approached the guitar rack with excitement as he began to strum out the opening to the outfit’s fan favourite cover of You Am I track, ‘Heavy Heart’. The acoustic vibe was refreshing; especially after several upbeat and spirited tracks leading up to its performance.
After a quick offstage recess, the foursome returned to finish off what was a diverse set, filled with tracks from all four of the group’s releases, with space journey, ‘Computer Love’. Donning their favourite silver jackets, the dynamic MC combination, in true robotica flair, concluded their Melbourne leg of the tour in style, leaving attendees satisfied with their willingness to please old fans but refreshed with the new direction of the hip-hop icons.
While the venue was not a full house by any means, TZU were successful in setting a scene which left all in attendance desperate to catch their next live sighting, hopefully in the very near future.
