Live Review: Coda Conduct, Sleepwalkers, Stayfly Sydney, The Ansah Brothers

A small and chilled crowd arrived early to catch Canberran and fellow Capslock Collective artist, Context, deliver his brand of clever and entertaining rhyme. Along with DJ Ill Gato, it was a rollicking way to start the night.

The Ansah Brothers were dancing one second and on stage the next. This new collaboration proves that hip hop talent runs in the family. Citizen Kay’s energy mixed with his brother, Genesis Owusu’s, flow, makes for a formidable pair. Definitely a duo to watch if this set has anything to do with it.

The whole evening was hosted by Stayfly Sydney, a formidable battalion of local female street artists. We were treated to a showcase of tracks from Dawn Laird, Madame Wu & Elise Gram, Natalie Slade (from Yum Yum) and Hilltop Hoods Initiative winner, Sarah Connor. It was a fantastic opportunity to witness the plethora of talent amongst the hip hop ladies of Sydney.

Sleepwalkers are a local Sydney hip hop duo on the rise. They were crisp and tight, delivering a solid set and worthy of more exposure. Crowd participation could have been more forthcoming, but on a bigger stage there’s no doubt they bring the bounce. They returned later in an entertaining rap battle with the headliners.

There were raffles, dance exhibitions and hype from MC Price Johnson before we finally got to see Erica Mallett and Sally Coleman take the stage. Coda Conduct have been delivering their smart, cheeky and frantic raps to a wider audience lately as triple j Unearthed feature artists, weather rappers and half-time rugby performers. Watching them perform to a friendly and sizeable group of fans and artists was a treat as they delivered tracks from their debut EP, Butter Side Up, which was being launched tonight.

Female MCs have long taken a back seat in this country, but hopefully some of the amazing talent on display tonight will bust everything wide open in the near future.