Live Review: Horrorshow, Rapaport

MC guitarist Rapaport held down the crowd at the Lansdowne last night, trying to coax a sleepy Tuesday crowd to the floor. His jazzy guitar accoutrements lent the set its strongest songs, including Don't Sweat It, produced by Joelistics. Also shoutout to Rapaport for blending country and grime, two styles I never thought would be heard together but were a real treat.

By the time the lights dimmed the room was full and brimming with anticipation. It has been ten years since the release of Horrorshow's breakout masterpiece The Grey Space and to celebrate they are touring Australia playing the album in full. This culminated in six consecutive sold-out shows at the Lansdowne. Sure he could have played fewer gigs at a bigger venue, but that's not what Nick "Solo" Bryant-Smith is about and his respect and love for the city of Sydney have never been more evident than in this album.

Bryant-Smith made a small room feel a whole lot bigger as he stepped onto the stage with Adit Gauchan, a perfectionist on the decks and Bryant-Smith's perfect musical twin. Sporting a Horrorshow jacket and a cap Bryant-Smith started rocking the house, which really kicked off for Choose None as he introduced Jimmy Nice, aka Just Enuf. Stage presence radiated from them, the crowd eating it up.

Bryant-Smith then introduced the other half of Spit Syndicate Nick Lupi to the stage for crowd favourite Party Life, splitting the crowd in half singing "party!" and "bullshit!".

Bryant-Smith then took it down a notch for the album's darkest moment, Dire Straits, Pt 1, moving the crowd to pin-drop silence. It's a thoughtful and frighteningly relatable reflection on life's meaning and our often losing battle with our own minds.

"But like all dark times, it always gets better and there is always light," Bryant-Smith reminded us before launching into set highlight All Summer Long.

The crowd blew the roof off as they sang along to this beautiful meditation on first loves and it was clear to see that Bryant-Smith was truly humbled by the love in the room, saying, "I just want you to know that when you sing these words and show up like this you are so beautiful to me."

They didn't leave the crowd waiting long for the encore and came back with Astray, a track from their latest album Bardo State. Throwing some new in with the old rounded out the set nicely as they closed with Cherry Blossom - no doubt looking forward to the following five nights.