Live Review: Poloshirt, Nasty Mars, Price J

Poloshirt, the lovechild of Sydney artists Winston Surfshirt and Polographia, have developed a strong local following thanks to repeated plays on triple j and a style that is at once carefree in its sentiments and intricate in its style. The band played a sold-out show to an eager Oxford Art Factory.

Price J got the ball rolling early with her stellar voice and elegant aesthetic. Her stage presence, while still needing some development, shone and her voice was the standout of the night. With some time on the road, and in the studio with a live band, and she'll be one to watch on the Sydney scene in the coming years.

Nasty Mars, backed by DJ UV Boi, was a mishmash of slow jams and freestyle flows. While his demeanour seemed a little mechanical, there were some tunes that permeated past their initial delivery. With shades of Blood Orange and Frank Ocean, Nasty Mars is developing his style as an emerging voice in Sydney's burgeoning hip hop scene. A cameo on the mic from UV Boi was refreshing as his style seemed more realised and his music was catchy and crowd-engaging.

While the main act warmed up and the crowd pooled in, a lacklustre AV display was fiddled around with before the curtains revealed an empty stage and a better backdrop of animated and embossed palm trees. The links turned blue and Poloshirt entered the space, kicking off with Sly, an infectiously catchy song mixing a typical Polographia rhythm section and Winston Surfshirt's croon.

The set was full of relatively heavy bass lines for such poppy music; it was festive and free, with a pop sensibility that few blend well with hip hop. Somehow, with these two musical worlds colliding, everything just clicked. While some of the Winston Surfshirt songs are a bit samey, the joint outfit breathed new life into them, especially Same Same and For Real.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Winston Surfshirt concert without some daring hip hop or R&B covers. Tonight proved no different with Poloshirt giving their rendition of a Kaytranada track and Cypress Hill's Insane In The Membrane. The classic pushed everyone to a fever pitch before the lights came on and everyone trickled off just as they had come.