Live Review: Urthboy in Sydney

March 9, 2016

Sydney emcee Okenyo opened up in front of a sold-out crowd at the Newtown Social Club last Wednesday night. Even though she lacked her partner-in-crime, Sampa the Great, she was capable of raising pulses, setting the mood for sin city resident Urthboy who was there to showcase his new album The Past Beats Inside of Me Like a Second Heartbeat.

What followed was nothing short of spectacular. You couldn’t hold a candle to the energy he displayed from the second he walked on stage. It was a direct product of hometown homage, wrapped in the humbleness that is Urthboy.

The witty back and forth conversations between himself and the crowd in between songs made it seem like he was performing in his mates’ backyard, it was such a charismatic and intimate show. There was even a makeshift “phone call” from his mother just to ensure that we were all having a good time.

He played hits from all albums such as We Get Around, Hellsong, Knee Length Socks, Shruggin and Stories all of which got a massive response, seeing as most people just expected to hear new material. It was a perfect balance, a hype gig. A much better approach than just playing the new album start to finish. The whole night was orchestrated perfectly.

Accompanied by a full range and register of back-up vocalists and a talented DJ, it was a strong combination of that melodic but raw hip-hop sound that Urthboy is able to embody so well. Long Loud Hours and The Arrow were two new releases that stood out but what stole the show was the cover of Meg Mac’s Roll Up Your Sleeves, which was honestly so good it was sort of hard to process.

As well as time taken to talk about Sydney’s lock out laws, it seemed the whole night was driven by appreciation. There was a sense of appreciation from the crowd to be there but you could see it in his face that he enjoyed our presence just as much. There was an overall vibe that resonated just how important live music is.