Live Review: ARIA Week: Urthboy, Seth Sentry, Pez, Grey Ghost

Well that was great. Four emcees, two of whom make rap music for people who don't like rap music, one of whom remains unproven despite his promise, and one of whom enjoys certified legend status – playing for more than two hours with no breaks.

Grey Ghost, all caramel chords and rat-a-tat delivery, opened proceedings beautifully. Whether spitting braggadocio over Sex by Slugabed, or inviting a UFO to take him away, he oozed charm. For the rap nerds, seeing our hero's amazing breath control live was stunning too. Either ghosts have no need for oxygen or GG was born with an extra lung or two.

Pez was (for this writer) the unexpected highlight of the night. Wearing an old t-shirt and an infectious smile he was charisma incarnate. We were invited to put our hands in the air. The response wasn't unanimous. So, Pez singled out those of us who were less enthusiastic than he'd hoped. “Don't puss out,” he instructed. The laggards obeyed. Obviously The Festival Song (sans 360) got a run. Less obviously, Pez dropped a verse over Arrested Development's Everyday People. “Are you drunk yet?” he asked a gentleman in the crowd. “He's dancing like a fuckhead.” Cue laughter. Tonight Pez held the crowd – including us, cynics who have never enjoyed a Pez song before – in the palm of his hand.

Seth Sentry, arriving on stage Nerf guns blazing, was almost as good. Dear Science got a huge response. Room For Rent, as huge. The Waitress Song, more huge. The set was crowd-pleasers punctuated by Ricky-Gervais-meets-a-water-pistol-armed-Jack-Black banter. We liked it. And we hadn't expected to. Bravo.

Finally, Urthboy. Possessing the best back catalogue of any of the acts playing, it was obvious to us that Urthboy's live set would be the best too. Not to be. The crowd response to Stories, the stunning opener to Urthboy's new album Smokey's Haunt, did not hit as hard as the big Pez or Seth Sentry songs. This was an audience amped to engage, to be a part of the show. They were noticeably less keen on simply sitting back and watching. They gradually warmed up though. We Get Around, Shruggin', and the surprising absence of Naïve Bravado all featured prominently. Urthboy closed with The Signal. The best song of the night was the last song of the night. Oddly, it was played by an act who, perhaps for the first time ever, was upstaged by the undercard.