Live Review: Danny Brown, ZelooperZ, Baro

Danny Brown's fans are out in force for his solitary Melbourne show. Supporting the gap-toothed wordsmith are local youngster Baro and fellow Detroit rapper ZelooperZ. Baro has the early arrivals bouncing to his Pro Era-meets-Odd Future raps before ZelooperZ raises the bar, the masses moshing along to his EDM-infused trap beats; even if his lyrical content is questionable.

Danny Brown is more rockstar than rapper, dressed in all black and sporting a pair of dark sunglasses. He and ZelooperZ - performing double duty since he's also Brown's hypeman - explode onto the stage to the strains of the pulsating Side B (Dope Song). Quickly disposing of his sunnies and customary leather jacket, Brown dances wildly about the stage, ripping through bangers Smokin & Drinkin, Express Yourself and the Skywlkr-produced Lie4. Brown's energy's always frenzied, but something feels a little off tonight. While Brown ploughs through his songs without missing a beat, his nasally chipmunk voice spitting lyrics at a frenetic pace, there's a sense the tour has finally caught up with Brown; he's less playful than during his 2014 tour, rarely giving the crowd anything. When he finally does engage in some banter, it's only to introduce himself and let out his contagious cackle. The lack of new material is also disappointing, especially considering Brown's revealed his next album is almost complete.

But the fans down front couldn't care less about new songs from the way they're madly jumping around. They've come to see Brown deliver the hits and he duly obliges. Older tracks I Will and the Gorillaz-sampling Grown Up warm everyone up before Brown delves into crowd favourites from his breakthrough album, Old. 25 Bucks, Handstand and the head-bobbing Kush Coma turn the venue into one big dance party, with even the bar staff feeling the groove. Arguably his biggest release, Dip causes absolute pandemonium when the beat drops. The floor heaves under the weight of fans jumping as one and rapping along, "Dip I dip you dip I dip/Dip I dip you dip I dip," over and over. Although his stage time is short and his energy lacking, Brown gets the job done, with fans chanting his name well after he leaves.