Live Review: Seth Sentry, Tuka, Ellesquire

Just a month after taking his laid-back brand of hip hop to the States and appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Melbourne-based Seth Sentry filled out the Metro with an enthusiastic all-ages crowd.

Ellesquire didn't take long to get punters involved as he bounced around his set. Though the beats backing him up got too repetitive, Ellesquire's everyday subject matter and natural, everyman charm made his set an enjoyable way to kick off the show.

Tuka, on solo duty from the Thundamentals, had a bit more hip hop braggadocio about him, though his performance still had that uniquely Australian sense of humour about it, from DJ MyNinja's costume to calling on the crowd to show off their spirit fingers. Tuka easily slipped from pretty impressive rapping into his singing voice, but still benefitted from the added oomph that resulted when Ellesquire came out to join him on a couple of tracks.

Sentry and DJ Sizzle mixed traditional pop hooks and dub with the hip hop elements, such as Sizzle's scratching and Sentry's easygoing rhyming. Sentry moved around the stage like a boxer, happily employing props like a Nerf gun and donning an apron to riff a skit on working in hospitality, asking members of the crowd what they'd like to order, which naturally led into The Waitress Song, much to the delight of the kids down the front.

Working his way through his debut album, Sentry also dropped his Like A Version cover of Frenzal Rhomb's Punch In The Face alongside the likes of Float Away, Ink Blot Test and Langoliers Banquet.

Since the release last year of his debut, Sentry has spent a lot of time on the road and his live show has been carefully developed to maximise the energy being generated onstage. Even with just two people, Sentry and Sizzle, on the stage, there was always something going on, something to look at or respond to. There was a lot of interaction with the crowd and plenty of banter between the two men.

If Sentry's next step is to try his hand more extensively in the US, his live show is a pretty good showcase of what this Melburnian is capable of.