21/03/2003 @ Sydney Uni
the Bird
2 Dogs
Hermitude
after getting lost and having to ask taxi drivers for directions.... we got there about half way thru Hermitude's set. or earlier. we were still the earlier ones and manage to secure a table. others who arrived later had to just stand around if they weren't on the dancefloor. i thought Hermitude was a hip hop group, but they were more dance plus turntablism. above average set, especially for their way funky tribute to electro that got cheers from everyone.
when 2 Dogs came on, the dancefloor empited itself instantly! strange, i thought, considering 2 Dogs being probably the most well know act on the bill tonight. as was the last time i caught this offshoot of the Resin Dogs, they started with hip hop and gradually wandered thru breaks to cheesy Nelly bullshit all the way to some wicked drum'n bass styleee with analogue turntables versus digital soundboard. we had to get on the dancefloor because we were sitting on the uncomfortable seats for so long our arses started to ache. but no, that wasn't the only reason we were on the floor. 2 Dogs also played a fairly good set, dropping in some Mr. Scruff in there definately put a dopey smile on my face.
then, the Bird. are they the best this country has to offer? are they better than sonic? it's a tough call. sonic's got the banks and banks of machines pounding out some hard core breakbeats (or whatever the fuck kids calls it these days. back in my day, we called it Big Beat.), the bird does it in a live, loose drum'n bass style. sonic's got theo and robbie going crazy-crazy up on stage. Brid's got the "drum battles". sonic has a drumer, but he just doesn't compare to the guy from the bird. but then the bird's electronics doesn't seem to get as trick as sonic's. but hey, in the end, the winner is music, and we reap the rewards.
these kids are crazy. not only that, but since the last time i caught them, mid last year, they've come up with a fair bit of new material too! they actually have songs with vocals now! the drummer was trying to rap in his strange, phoney indian accent and play drums at the same time. to oddly satisfying results. starting off with a banger, then settling down to some dub styles. the drummer's dad got on stage to show off his guitar skills. nice to see the drummer is still beating his drum kit to pieces... before the first song's even over! some other guy asked to go on stage to show off his skills on traditional drums. of course, being the bird, this would lead to a frantic drum battle. after the dubby bits, the set soon picked up pace again and got into some hard, fast, frentic, smashing d+b styles. whoever was on their feet on the dancefloor, won't be on their feet much for the next few days. there was a lot of love and hugging going on on stage, and i think some of that love radiated onto the crowds too. one of the best crowds i'd been in in a very long time, great vibes all round. it was a beautiful thing.
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