Live Review: Sublime With Rome

Melbourne hip hop outfit Jakubi warmed up an energetic crowd at the Big Top last night. Blending a solid groove and some catchy bluesy guitar riffs, the boys knew how to have a good time on stage and get the people off the ground. The guys have been refining their skills with their new EP 61 Barkly and it shows in tracks like Nobody Better and Feels Like Yesterday.

The crowd well and truly brimmed with excitement and exploded when Sublime With Rome hit the stage and launched straight into Date Rape, which is essentially the worst song to play on a first date but a very good one to dance to. Since the tragic heroin overdose of lead singer Bradley Nowell in '96 the band have decided to reinvent themselves with the addition of Rome Ramirez, favouring a slightly more reggae feel as opposed to the punk Bradley brought to the table. This works well for them and Rome absolutely nails reggae tracks like Smoke Two Joints and Take It Or Leave It.

As tracks rolled on and the pace quickened to that of Skankin To The Beat the mosh reached a new frenzy and the familiar stench of weed wafted over the crowd. Doin' Time, a re-imagining of George Gershwin's Summertime, sent the crowd to a new level of craziness as they grooved hard and yelled every word. Followed by Scarlet Begonias, the bassist lit another cigarette and the trio walked off stage. A few minutes of wild raging earned the crowd their much desired encore. Sirens, the title track from Rome's latest album opened followed by What I Got, both tunes thriving on catchy chorus hooks. Saving the best for last the trio launched into classic, Santeria, as the crowd got a final taste of the legendary energy that had Sublime burst out of the Cali reggae scene over two decades ago.