Live Review: Lady Leshurr, Sophiegrophy, Cache One

Scoring the coveted opening spot, Sophiegrophy demonstrates why she's one of the best-kept secrets of the Australian hip hop scene.

Combining braggadocios raps with soulful hooks the local lass has the growing crowd moving and shaking to her infectious sounds. Latest single Bag is classic trap, while Fa$t Life has a Caribbean feel to it. Sophiegropghy takes numerous song requests from the crowd, including the 808s heavy Ransom, as she grooves along with her long braids whipping about. In an unusual move she plays Ransom a second time before inviting members of the crowd on stage to dance along while she performs another rendition of Bag. There's a little too much backing track at times but Sophiegrophy has the goods and is one to watch out for.

Between sets Cache One provides the warm-up tunes, dishing up a fan-friendly mix of R&B and hip hop tunes. Dropping hits from the likes of Drake, Cardi B, Skepta and Lil Uzi Vert he has the crowd ready to go for the main act.

After selling out Howler on her first Australian tour feisty rapper Lady Leshurr's return sees her playing a bigger venue in front of a much more vocal crowd who seem to know all the words to her songs. The Birmingham MC wastes no time getting the crowd on side as she urges everyone to get their phones out and wave them side-to-side as she offers up a little reggae number that transforms into Rihanna's Work. The early part of the show borrows heavily from her Queen's Speech EPs, with the Stone Cold Steve Austin-referencing Queen's Speech 3 and "crispy bacon" Queen's Speech 5 both getting the crowd rocking.

The energy is electric as Leshurr has the crowd crouching low to the ground before jumping en masse with her during Queen's Speech 6 while the infectious Juice keeps the good times flowing. This is more like a party than a live performance as Leshurr shouts out her '80s and '90s babies and takes to the decks to play a mixture of tunes from the past. Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way and the theme song to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air incite a raucous singalong before the opening stanza of Panjabi MC's Beware turns the dancefloor into a frenzy of body parts moving in all directions.

New Freezer, middle finger-producing F My Ex and Missy Elliot-sampling Black Panther are all well-received by the enthusiastic crowd who haven't stopped moving. Queen's Speech 4 with its famous "brush your teeth" line that helped catapult Leshurr to stardom is explosive as a few cheeky punters hold toothbrushes aloft. Leshurr is feeling the energy so much she invites four fans on stage to help rap the track with her. Thankfully three out of the four know the words and do a decent job, making it an enjoyable experience for all involved. The bouncy Where Are You Now? brings Leshurr's short but entertaining set to a close and highlights why she is one of the UK's most impressive MCs.