A Wednesday night show is a tough ask for any act, especially the openers, but Skryptcha is doing a good job of warming up the mid-week audience with tracks such as Food For Thought and recent release Dance. The lanky Sydney MC puts on a solid show, delivering classy, thought-provoking rhymes. Although the crowd aren't exactly bouncing, they willingly move closer to the stage.

M-Phazes steps up to the decks for a pre-headliner DJ set, which includes plenty of classics and an almost unhealthy dose of Drapht (Jimmy Recard, Where's Elvis? and Rapunzel all make appearances). Phazes finishes up with Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, with Cam Gilmour's live drumming getting the crowd revved up for the main event.

The man everyone came to see gets a warm welcome: this hometown crowd is thrilled to see Illy on a local stage. He balances audience favourites such as Guess I Could with tracks from his not-yet-released third album Bring It Back, but nobody objects – in fact, punters seem to be feeling the new material, throwing their hands in the air and singing along with the choruses from the second time around. The triple j Like A Version cover of Where Is My Mind makes an appearance, but this time there's a twist: it's followed by Where Is My Mind Part 2, which will appear on the new album and continues the referential style of the original. Illy's onstage confidence has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. He loves a good reaction from the crowd, but he knows how to read them, too – he isn't mugging for hands in the air or cheers, but he's appreciative when they happen. He's relaxed, but never lethargic, and it's clear that he's a true performer who is actually happiest when playing live.

After performing a few of his best-loved tracks, including On The Bus and his breakout single Pictures, Illy gives the crowd a crash-course in his new album's material. The hoped-for appearance of Pez on current single Where Ya Been doesn't eventuate (a nasty case of food poisoning is named as the culprit) but Illy does a fine job of filling in. The brilliant Cigarettes has everyone in the room singing along, as does It Can Wait. Illy comes back onstage for an encore performance of Heard It All, and then the crowd, prompted by M-Phazes, sings “Happy birthday” to him. Technically, it's not Illy's birthday for another half hour, but his triumphant set is certainly reason enough to start the celebrations early.