Birdz and Omar Musa- The Voodoo Laksa Tour

Birdz and Omar Musa are on a joint tour around Australia and tonight was their first show together at The Toff In Town. Opening up the evening was singer-songwriter Alice Skye. She and her band played these dreamy yet sad songs, and she joked about the contrast between her and the rest of the bill musically.

Omar Musa and his DJ Sezzo Snot were up next, and his set featured songs from his latest album Since Ali Died, including "Assimilate," "Rose Gold Lover" and the very catchy "Like A Cat Move." Omar is such a brilliant lyricist and someone who continues to tackle the social justice issues of the day in his music and poetry. It was good to hear songs off his previous EP with "Dead Centre," "Freedom" and my favorite "Lak$a," which got the audience moving.  To finish his set he did a spoken word version of his song "UnAustralia." I only wish that he had played for longer as his set went by too quickly.

Birdz hit the stage with a DJ and drummer, which added a lot to his set. He played a lot of songs off his debut album Train Of Thought, including "Crown Thieves," "This Side," "Rise" and "Black Lives Matter." Birdz is another strong rapper on the scene who is addressing serious topics in his songs. He brought Omar Musa up on the stage to perform their new song together "About Me," and finished off the night with the powerful track "Testify." It was great to get the opportunity to see both Omar and Birdz touring together and playing in such an intimate venue.

Here's the new video for their joint single "About Me"

L-FRESH The LION- Become Tour

Last night L-FRESH The LION brought his tour in support of his second album Become to the Northcote Social Club. Opening the evening was spoken word artist and slam poet Sukhjit. She spoke about Sikh identity, dealing with sexual harassment, and loving your body and yourself. There were lots of snaps for the truth she told.

Omar Musa was up next and played a fantastic set full of songs from his excellent EP Dead//Centre. Joined by DJ B.Two on the decks and rapper Mantra for a guest appearance, Omar brought great energy and passion to the songs "Dead Centre," "The Razor's Edge," "Freedom" and "The Fisherman Song," where he joked he's the only person rapping about Southeast Asian fishermen. He has such a strong voice and presence on stage, and finished off the set with my favorite track off the EP, "Lak$a," which had the whole room jumping.

MC Mirrah made sure everyone was hyped and ready for L-FRESH The LION before he joined DJ MK-1 and the full band onstage. They started with "Pray For Me" and then went into one of my favorites "Get Mine." L-FRESH played songs from both his albums and the whole show was filled with lots of good vibes. He got introspective on "Faithful," "The Time Has Come" and "unBECOME" before bringing up the energy with "One," "Takeover," "1 in 100,000" and "Hold Up," which featured surprise special guest Remi Kolawole rapping his verse in the song. L-FRESH also referenced his Punjabi ancestry with the track "Never Alone" and in the encore as everyone came out on stage to finish the night with "Balle Balle." I had such a great time at this show and really appreciated the positive energy that each artist and the crowd brought to the evening.

Here's the video for "1 in 100,000"

Joelistics- The Workers Club

Last night the fantastic Joelistics played his last show for the year in Melbourne at The Workers Club. The opening act was Indigenous rapper Birdz, who rapped about culture and country and along with DJ Marze got the crowd moving. Next up was writer and slam poet Omar Musa with DJ B.TWO on the decks. He played a powerful set, with his new song "Dead Centre" being the standout track.

The room was completely packed by the time Joelistics and DJ Beatrice hit the stage. He started with my favorite song off of Blue Volume, the politically charged "Say I'm Good." The set was a mix of tracks from his two albums, with highlights including "Head Right," "The People," "Glorious Feeling," "Days" and "Out Of The Blue." Joel also invited a couple guests up onto the stage with Birdz doing a song they are working on together, and MPD drum pad player Dollface doing some beats. It was a fun show with some great energy, and the crowd went off for the closing track of the night "In The Morning."

Here's the video for "Out Of The Blue"