Live Review: Swollen Members, MastaCraft

MastaCraft opened up at Oxford Art Factory with a smooth blend of energy and flow. Closing the set with Rebound, he managed to get the arms up and the crowd pumping with new age backbeats and passionate raps.

Seasoned rap veterans Swollen Members are back after a four-year break from shows and they dished it out in spades. A few songs in, Shane Bunting aka Madchild, was still rocking the shades and told the crowd "hands up for the sound guy, turn everything up" before jumping in the crowd for at least the first half of the set. The duo have a sweet flow that the audience can't deny in tracks like Fear and Fuel Injected. Madchild and accomplice Prevail had a smooth interplay of audience interactions and verses as they bounced around to the steady backbeat.

The real set highlight came as the DJ turned off and Madchild set out to prove to the crowd that Prevail was the best freestyler in the world. And 15 minutes later, after three separate bouts, it's safe to say the audience were convinced. The raps were noticeably unrehearsed as the crowd went wildly off on tangents about Australian culture and other topical issues. Dedicated in "respect of hip hop culture", Prevail finished off his freestyle and the duo rocked the crowd for a few more numbers. Although the crowd was somewhat thin compared to a Saturday night, Madchild did a good job of keeping everyone amped up by closing the set with Night Vision.