Photo: Justin Ma

The Hi-Fi was made to maximise listening pleasure … a venue designed for great sound from every angle. Hip hop was always going to provide the real test for the PA; long-suffering fans are used to the lyrics being swallowed and the bass being muddied. Not so when Lazy Grey or the 750 Rebels are on stage; every word and beat are loud and clear, and the packed crowd – mostly huge boys – are digging it immensely. The support acts have a strong following and the room looks like a Hilltop Hoods gig, 10 deep at the bar and brimming with brawny enthusiasm. When they’re done, DJ Sheep gracefully leads the crowd back towards the States, dropping seminal old school tracks around the occasional sampled shout-out to himself. He trails off for Robby Balboa to big up the crowd before the main event. Ghostface Killah has the stage prepared in veteran style: dozens of water bottles nearly hiding the Hennessey and beer, and piles of white towels folded under the decks. His presence is awesome and though the mics are too low for the first tracks, a quick word to the sound deck solves it. His set draws largely from Ironman and Supreme Clientele (um, unfortunately not the albums I’d been listening to that day) with Mighty Healthy, Nutmeg and Daytona 500 hitting sweet spots. Did he Wu Tang? Yes, with a medley ripping through hits and landing on Wu Tang Clan Aint’ Nothing To Fuck With. Did he ODB? Yes, with Shimmy Shimmy Ya. Did he get girls on stage to dance, only to be dismally disappointed by how crap they were? Yes. Did he do a tribute to Michael Jackson, attempting for a minute’s silence that the Brisbane crowd just couldn’t control their whooping for? Yes, unfortunately. Will he ever return? Damn, we hope so.

JANEWORLD

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