Live Review: Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE @ The Timber Yard, Melbourne

Earl Sweatshirt

On Saturday night, Melbourne rap fans were treated to a night of mesmerising underground hip-hop with Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE.

Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE are kindred spirits. Two of underground hip-hop’s brightest stars, the pair have blessed us down under with a collaborative headline tour to celebrate the release of their double album POMPEII // UTILITY.

Earl’s journey is well known: a young rise to fame as part of LA’s independent hip-hop supergroup Odd Future (along with fellow legends Frank Ocean and Tyler, The Creator) before a dark journey into genius with mid-career highlights I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside and Some Rap Songs. Eventually settling into a happier life as a father and modern-day rap legend in last year's solo LP Live Laugh Love, Earl dominates his corner of underground hip-hop.

On the other hand, the younger of the duo, MIKE, came up in New York’s underground rap scene in the mid-2010s - releasing countless independent albums initially through Bandcamp and later through wider platforms. Dropping three albums in 2018 - Black Soup, Renaissance Man and War In My Pen - MIKE secured his place in the scene with critical acclaim and underground buzz, having also released a well-received LP or two in 2025 in Showbiz! and Pinball II.

Coming up in different scenes, the rappers came in contact when Earl purchased one of MIKE’s releases on Bandcamp in 2016. Describing Earl as MIKE’s favourite rapper, the artists formed a symbiotic mentor-mentee relationship. While Earl provided industry insight and support, MIKE also became a massive influence on Earl’s sound. Some credit MIKE and hip-hop collective Slums for the total change in tone in Sweatshirt’s music from 2018’s Some Rap Songs onwards.

Collaborating on a laundry list of tracks before now, it was only a matter of time before the two did a full album together - 2026’s POMPEII // UTILITY. Reminiscent of Outkast’s fourth album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the new album is literally two different albums, with the throughline of New York hip-hop collective SURF GANG handling production duties. A celebration of the duo’s art and friendship, this tour clearly reflects the love they share.

Opening up the show were two Melbourne-based artists - Chef Chung and C.FRIM. Mixing elements of chipmunk soul, 90s RnB and electronic, Chung brought the heat in a high energy set of head turning beats and bars - while C.FRIM delivered a tight DJ set of house and alternative electronic.

When it came to the main set of the night, Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE felt more like two friends having fun rather than two artists at the top of their game. These two modern poets and wordsmiths rapped, laughed and joked their way through a fantastic set. 

Playing a Drake song at the beginning and end of the set to hype the crowd, the energy throughout felt like catching up with a couple of very old friends. In-jokes and goofy moments broke up the setlist, which encompassed almost the entire double album POMPEII // UTILITY.

From the opening lines of Leadbelly and Black Hole from their new collaborative album, it was clear that the set was going to mainly cover the new record. In spite of many punters not being well read on the recent release, the camaraderie between the artists was magnetic - every single song made the crowd jump. On Earl songs, MIKE would act as hype man, and on Earl tracks, the roles would reverse. Their solo music became an experiment in creative collaboration through live performance.

A smaller venue, the Timber Yard is basically a rave cave, which made for a tight, energetic crowd. Fans got down to older tracks, 2010, and Shattered Dreams - going bar for bar with the rappers. When MIKE called for “Melbeezy” to shake some ass, the people listened. 

The best tracks of the night were definitely Minty Earth and E.Coli - it seemed like everyone in attendance knew the verses. Special mention goes to Earl and MIKE for thanking the sound guy, lighting guy, security, and bartenders - no one missed out on praise this night. A rare thing for a touring artist.

Delivering on a great night of underground hip-hop, Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE have secured their spots in the rap game, and more collaborations between the two are surely on the horizon.