Hopefully Fraksha will let his solo work hold centre stage in the future – it’s certainly capable of doing so.
Nothing has the potential to make a gig go awry than an inebriated host. Skeaz Lauren steps up to introduce one of the evening's headliners, but he's officially had a few too many and things go south very quickly. One minute he's yelling at the crowd to come down to the front of the stage, the next he's starting a scrap with a punter. A punch is thrown, security guards are involved, and the artists are trying to placate the host in a bid to let the show go on.
Yikes. It's little wonder that Sydney MC Sarm looks a bit rattled when he steps up onstage. He gives it his best shot, but thanks to the pre-set punch-up and technical problems with the foldback, he's having a tough day at the office, and unfortunately it shows. He draws mainly on tracks from his recent self-titled debut solo album, and the set has some great moments – Tornts jumps up for Raw Is Life, and there's a sterling rendition of Fresher Than You. However, Sarm simply doesn't seem comfortable. He's certainly talented – there's some seriously impressive lyrical dexterity on show when he takes the microphone – but he probably won't chalk this set up as one of his best.
Then (after another interlude of screaming, courtesy of the host) it's time for Fraksha to take the mic. The UK-born grime-loving MC has been living in Australia for seven years now, and as he tells the crowd, “Melbourne is my home.” With his Nine High and Smash Brothers counterpart Scotty Hinds taking hype man duties, Fraksha serves up an accomplished, impressive set that spans not only his new album tracks but smatterings of his past collaborative efforts as well. His debut solo record, My Way, yields some instant live classics, including the ferociously good Snakes And Ladders and addictive Fix Up.
When he performs Creepin', the album's first single, the room positively erupts. Nearly every artist on the bill is up on stage helping out, belting out the chorus and bouncing all over the place. There's a true party atmosphere in this moment – a sense of celebration, jubilation, sheer joy. It's the perfect moment for the gig to end on, so it's almost a shame when Fraksha announces that there's one more track to go. He and Hinds perform their rollicking Nine High hit That's What We On, and while it normally brings the house down, it feels like a misstep here. Hopefully Fraksha will let his solo work hold centre stage in the future – it's certainly capable of doing so.
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