Live Review: Spit Syndicate, Dylan Joel, Jackie Onassis

Sydney's Jackie Onassis, fellow members of the headliners' One Day crew, open the show with a sharp, energetic set that gets the room moving quickly. Frontman Kai Tan has a little of Mantra's lyrical dexterity and a touch of Joelistics' joie de vivre, and he and beatsmith Raph Dixon make a compelling, onstage team. They win the crowd over easily with tracks such as Juliet and the '90s-influenced Crystal Ball and, even at this early hour, hands are in the air and people are dancing.

DJ Joyride keeps the decks (and the room) warm and then it's Melbourne MC Dylan Joel's turn to step up to the plate. The timbre of his voice combined with his metronomic lyrical style is reminiscent of Drapht, but he doesn't have the onstage charisma of the country's top tier MCs. He does work hard though and he's clearly got an ear for innovative samples – Toploader's Dancing In The Moonlight and Popular from Wicked! The Musical both make an appearance.

It's Spit Syndicate everyone has come here to see and when they take the stage Melbourne gives them a warm welcome. They've been working on their third album Sunday Gentlemen (due out in 2013) and hence haven't visited for a while, so the set consists of old favourites to please the enduring faithful, peppered with hints of what's coming next from the duo. Ode to all things hip hop, Kings Only, goes down a treat and the room positively roars as the familiar piano line of Starry Eyed sounds.

MCs Just Enuf and Nick Lupi have always been energetic performers, but what is starting to set them apart is how tightly they work together. They do some of the best unison rapping in the game and, as a result, they seem inseparable on their tracks. Unlike hip hop outfits where the multiple MCs take turns from verse to verse, Spit Syndicate seem like a two-headed wonder sharing a single mind and vision. Having Joyride in the mix, with his impressive DJ skills and wonderful vocals, is another feather in the cap.

The new tracks performed suggest that Spit Syndicate are moving in a less obvious, more soul-influenced direction with their music and they leave the impression that Sunday Gentlemen will be a formidable release. The set ostensibly closes with a spirited performance of new single Beauty In The Bricks, but the double-S haven't even left the stage before the crowd are chanting for one more song. They stick around for a few more tracks, inviting Illy up onto the stage for a rare performance of Red Light Green Light (off Illy's debut album Long Story Short) before finishing with crowd favourite Exhale.