Maybe a surprise, but I had never heard of these rapping wallabies from Adelaide until their promos appeared a month ago.
I get to see them with fresh ears and eyes.
They were support act for Eminem in his celebrated 2019 show at Western Springs, which I inexplicably missed.
Second song in, Chase That Feeling has a definite phrasing style and fraught tension of Marshall Mathers. Tough street angst. Separates the pain by staying high/ She might just OD/ High price to pay to go free.
They open wi
The two founder Rappers come forward, Suffa Matthew Lambert and Pressure Daniel Smith. They prance and strut, project into the audience and rave it up all evening.
DJ Debris Barry Francis is the mixmaster, and there is a drummer who possibly has the surname Love. Often raises the intensity of Rap acts on stage to have live artillery.
The first time you hear them clearly is on Show Business. They can sound a bit like the Skatalites. The vocals slow down a bit to swing the rhythm.
Hilltop were described as Aussie Larrikin-style Hip-Hop at the start. I see them as Beastie Boys with an ear for Power Pop and Garage. There is a lot to catch up on for me after this show.
In other articles, they have cited Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G. as influences. Their hearts are in a good place, and they demonstrate they have plenty of those chops.
Freddy Reynold
Reynold has a fast easy flow to his style and appears to keep a close check on what resonates with the fast-filling venue.
He starts at medium-pace, like a cricketer, (Ross Taylor’s a huge fan y’know) and then quickens the pace on the next one. I can do anything I want to!
I made that up about Taylor, you understand.
A song which references Woodstock ’99 also drops in a Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues tag with parking meters. As in Don’t follow leaders/ Watch the parking meters.
He has a wide arsenal at his disposal. Which he tells us.
Southside Run It, on which he closes, is a great switch-up, with some Seventies R’n’B merging into Disco. The refrain money, money, money recalls the O’Jays and the Gap Band.
Hilltop Hoods
A guest vocalist is introduced for 1955 and a few others. I am pretty sure this is Montaigne Jessica Cerro, also from Australia. One of their few ballads and she adds a nice soulful touch.
Higher has great Gospel piano to begin. The horns punch through to accentuate the soul inside this song.
They blend Power Pop and Hip-Hop and this gives Hilltop a versatility which contributes to their solid popularity. One of the members of Six60, Chris, is cheering them on from the sidelines tonight.
The finest example of this could be Cosby Sweater, their encore. Soul from the horns and very much a Pop song in Rap fashion with some Sixties Garage band rhythms for good measure.
Hilltop Hoods are a powerhouse, good-times, multi-faceted Rap show.
Rev Orange Peel
