“THREE SIX-TY, THREE SIX-TY” – the resonant chant fills the Corner Hotel as this sell-out crowd anticipates the arrival of the man whose stratospheric rise over the last 12 months has propelled him from underground rapper to Australian hip hop's Midas. His second album Falling And Flying filled a gap in the market; its chart-friendly, pop sensibility legitimised with enough street-level credibility to sit sweet with viewers.
Arriving on stage to a mash-up intro of jailbreak sirens and air horns, 360 (aka Matt Colwell) and tour partner Bam Bam's appearance triggers rapturous applause, as they empty bottles of water over the outstretched arms in the front row. They kick off with Killer, the indie/disco/electro stomper produced by '96 Bulls, with a bass drop that sends '60 and Bam Bam fervently pogoing the length and breadth of the stage. An experienced battle rapper and a guy who's clearly spent a lot of time in front of an audience, '60's crowd control is on-point. Sensing that energy levels are perhaps beginning to drop after the gentler tempo of Meant To Do, he launches into some older material and, with it, a bite of the rawer edge of his earlier sound.
Longtime friend and collaborator Pez joins '60 onstage for Just Got Started and the ever-popular The Festival Song, while the big-band, Kanye-esque breakdowns of new single Child prompt a dedication to the makers, who have come down to what is a home gig for Melbourne boy Colwell: “This one's for our families who are all up in this bitch,” he tells us. Now alone on stage, I Hope You Don't Mind sees '60 letting off a bit of steam, venting over some personal issues including criticism of his weight. The intensity is maintained when Bam Bam returns to smash his and '60's own take on Died This Way by US brostepper Skrillex.
Fairy-toned vocalist Gossling makes an appearance to play her part in the night's best track, the massive hit Boys Like You, while encore Falling And Flying ties up proceedings for what is an entertaining show that Colwell now needs to take to the next level in terms of production, which could do with some work. With his new tour selling out in a matter of hours, it's clear that, having put in the hard yards over the years, 360's moment has finally come. And, like the man himself says, he's only just got started.
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