Rumour has it Bliss n Eso sold out their show at The Gov within a day. With the fervent love for the act consuming the entire venue hours before they took to the stage, it was hardly surprising. The amazing turnout was testament to an act that has honed their craft over many years, becoming one of the mainstays and pioneers of Australian hip hop scene.
First support act Johnny B had some of the attributes of a solid hip hop act, but there were a few missing links, making the performance a little uneasy to watch at times. The rising rapper has some good lines but his voice is too generic in the context of Australian rap. With slightly unconvincing mannerisms, his attempt at charisma was a little awkward and hard to gauge, often going for tongue in cheek but not quite landing it. It wasn’t all bad but rappers need cut through and its hard to gauge Jonny B’s edge. His young DJ had some tangible struggles on the decks, as well which was the low point for his set, however he did bring it home reasonably well.
Dex and Boy Graduate, despite their very apparent youthfulness, had an intangibly captivating aura about them. Their style of hip hop had a sincerity about without being preachy, not something that is always easy to pull off. Whilst often reverting to obvious crowd pleasing gestures, peace and an overworked “call-to-jump”, there was something mesmerising about their set. The rapping in unison also worked a treat. While the act didn’t appear to have many stand out moments, the consistent authentic appeal seemed to draw in a lot of new fans.
Bliss n Eso walked out to an epic intro and rapturous applause solidifying the fact that theirs is one of the most loyal and passionate fanbases in the country, something not uncommon amongst the bigger Australian hip hop acts. Their sets are comprised of a range of very fast slick rapping, highlighting their sheer talent in the genre and singalong choruses, not entirely dissimilar to acts like Illy. It’s the blistering rapping and the confident stage presence that really shone through in this performance. Their command of the crowd ensured that they were able to record them singing along for their new record. The sheer mastery of DJ Ism is another highlight of their live show, as well as the inclusion of a live drummer who made a substantial difference to the danceability of the set, compared to the support acts.
A recess of sorts when the drummer and DJ Ism played along to a range of backing tracks was a welcome respite from the intensity of the set and was warmly received by the crowd who were only too keen to groove along to the jams.
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