Live Review: Julian Marley, Blue King Brown, The Strides, Manalion

Sydney trio ManaLion were first in a lineup of reggae royalty with rough, impassioned vocals from frontman Duan & Only and a sombre edge seeping from upbeat drum rhythms. The Strides upped the ante with an eight-piece ensemble including some great trumpet and sax solos and textual highlights from rapper MC LTL Gzeus. And Blue King Brown vocalist Natalie Pa'apa'a performed an acoustic and intimate set with freedom fighting backing vocalists the Rumwaropen sisters from West Papua. While the energy was more grounded and the crowd a little restless, the harmonies were perfect and when the trio stood for a powerful and a capella finale, you could have heard a pin drop.

Stage lights were set exclusively to red, green and yellow when Julian Marley loped on stage wearing double denim and flinging his dreadlocks around. Indiscreet plumes of smoke rose from the audience as he picked up a guitar and launched into an energetic set, breaking a string on the first song. A son of reggae legend Bob Marley and a devout Rastafarian, Marley's best performance was on Awake, where he dropped the guitar and sung his heart out with one hand covering his eyes. The tail end of the set became a Bob Marley tribute concluding with Exodus and a double-time jam, high-speed drum solo and the resounding chant of “freedom!”

The standout performance was from Marley's lead guitarist who stood stock-still and pulled off fluid and complex solos that were absolutely off the hook. Regrettably, the middle of Marley's set dragged on a bit too long, but the crowd was pumped and willing. He returned for two encores and had the whole place singing One Love as the perfect and unifying end to a huge night.

Julian Marley drew a collection of Australia's most prestigious reggae artists to support him on his first Australian headline tour, making this homage to Godfather of reggae Bob so much more than a gimmick.