Live Review: One Day

If you ever needed proof that Australia has a thriving hip hop scene all of its own, One Day is it.

Take four acts – all united by a shared history, a set of inner west train tracks that inspired their album title, Mainline, all throwing serious heat – put them in a pot together and the result is a rich, tasty brew that packed out their home ground, the Enmore.

Producer, singer and rapper Joyride is the king of the One Day castle, towering over everyone in stature and confidence. His own tunes are smooth R Kelly-style R&B, often with a reggae or dance flavour, and frequently with a sense of humour, from the Barry White vibe of Compromise to the intensity of Pretend (Cecilia).

The man of many talents appears throughout the night on vocals, decks, keys and guitar, joining Jackie Onassis to take on Beyoncé (Drunk In Love). Onassis has blown up this year and deservedly so, with irresistible trap beats laid out by Raph Dixon as rapper Kai Tan exudes infectious energy and genuine joy on tracks like Crystal Balling.

Spit Syndicate, aka Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice, are the streetwise schoolboys of the gang, reminiscing about their time rolling past the Enmore on skateboards in their youth – “I probably tagged it,” Jimmy admits. They narrate the struggles of growing up and chasing the dream on Amazing and Folly, joined by a playfully duelling Joyride and vocalist Sarah Corry for a fresh take on Latch by Disclosure.

Horrorshow hold the crowd in raptures thanks to tight production from Adit and total command from MC Solo, taking us from an Australianised cover of Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side (which suits a call and response: “Can I kick it?” Solo asks the audience and the answer comes back: yes he can) to Walk You Home, which has all the couples swooning.

The night reaches a heady climax when all seven One Dayers unite on stage, bouncing off one another for tracks like the popular bad boy anthem Love Me Less to slinkier numbers led by Joyride like Cab Ride and Leave Your Windows Open, Horrorshow favourite All Summer Long, odes to the State Debt Recovery Office and the title track, Mainline, a celebration of the bonds of home. A triumphant finale shows this crew is even greater than the sum of its parts, and that’s saying something.