Live Review: Come Together

Now in its 11th year, Come Together boasts a solid all-Australian line-up of up-and-coming and established hip hop acts from around the country. The festival operates as an all ages event, and the festival ticket includes free unlimited rides before 5pm. This year's line-up included triple j Unearthed hip hop/electronic artist Mallrat, aka the "Hannah Montana of the rap game", Melbourne-raised hip hop/rap artist Dylan Joel, Brisbane-born Gill Bates and Sydney-based MC Manu Crook$.

Rocking up on stage just after 7pm, Sydney hip hop duo Spit Syndicate (Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice) busted out on stage with crowd favourite Beauty In The Bricks — lead single off their third album Sunday Gentleman, released 2013. Written as a love letter to their hometown and produced by Adit Gauchan (Horrorshow), it lifted the energy in the room almost instantaneously. The power duo followed through with One Day's ultra-smooth Love Me Less (the first single off the hip hop collective's album Mainline), followed by the duo's most recent release Know Better. Produced by the progressive vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Styalz Fuego (Kaelyn Behr), it was a more than fitting end to the set. They yelled "Peace out, Sydney, you fucking killed it!", to an audience only just starting to warm into the night.

Aussie solo hip hop act Tuka flew on stage, absolutely radiating positivity, with a humble and charismatic stage presence to match. "You gorgeous rat bastards, what the fuck is up! Can I see your spirit fingers?" he said before performing the catchy, feelgood Right By You. The exquisite, uber-talented goddess ALPHAMAMA was on stage singing back-up vocals beside him, projecting the voice, strength and aura of a soul queen. Tuka followed through with the stunningly breezy My Star, off his most recent album Life Death Time Eternal — a track dedicated to his future child.

Delivering a super high energy performance and ecstatically hyping up everyone in the crowd, Tuka shouted, "Do we have any thundercats in the house?" before breaking out Thundamentals Noodle Soup and L.D.T.E. In between tracks, Tuka invited an audience member up on stage, handing him the microphone before the guy brought his girlfriend up on stage and proposed. She of course said yes, wrappubg her arms around her new fiance, while the audience went nuts, bursting out in screams and rapturous applause. He dedicated his next song Tattoo, to the newly engaged couple, inviting fans to "sing along if you know the words". The group then performed Tuka's magnetic cover of Angus and Julia Stone's Big Jet Plane with ALPHAMAMA's vocals providing a husky, sultry touch.

Twenty-five-year-old Adelaidian rapper Allday (Tom Gaynor) waltzed on stage about 30 minutes later, singing Right Now off his 2014 album Startup Cult. About halfway through his set, heavy, politically charged ramblings could be heard from outside the venue — on the state of the current Australian political climate and freedom of expression in the music industry. Expressing also his love for the fans and for the festival, he shouted, "There's 3000 people here and everyone's got love in their hearts!" Allday wrapped up his set with the crowd-pleasing You Always Know The DJ, an open letter to a female friend who "always knew the DJ".

Perth hip hop artist Drapht (Paul Reid) co-headlined the event — by this point the night had completely kicked into full swing. The band was comprised of at least seven people singing, rapping and playing instruments from the flute to the saxophone. Drapht and his crew had a crazy stage presence that almost seemed to somehow emulate The Cat Empire. The moment the crowd seemed to fall in love was just after he performed his single Falling over the top of Flume's Holdin On. Drapht ended the night with a song about meeting the woman of his dreams who doesn't turn out to be so great — the insanely addictive Rapunzel off his 2011 album The Life Of Riley. The night ended on an intensely high note, having done precisely as the event's title suggests and allowing artists, fans and festival-punters alike to come together.