Live Review: The Underachievers, Powers Pleasant, Nico Ghost

Melbourne local Nico Ghost has the crowd jumping along early with his American-inspired take on hip hop. Looking like a cross between Eazy-E and A$AP Rocky, Ghost's raspy vocals and New York-flavoured sound hit the mark. His efforts in sculling a beer are poor, but he makes up for it when offered a blunt (which he shares with punters). Powers Pleasant, The Underachievers' dreadlocked DJ, gets behind the decks and keeps the momentum flowing with a set of modern hip hop bangers, including tracks from Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug and Future.

Contrasting their band name, The Underachievers work hard to keep the crowd hyped as the duo of Issa Gold and AK send fans into a frenzy as they bounce on stage. The two waste no time dropping the heat, launching into the hazy Allusions. The Beast Coast leaders combine old school, New York hip hop with psychedelic vibes, giving the duo's druggy, head-nodding raps a unique twist. Gold instructs the crowd, "Raise your arms" multiple times as AK headbangs along to the booming beats, his dreadlocks swirling through the air.

Mixtape favourites Philanthropist and Sun Through The Rain feature alongside album tracks Take Your Place and Generation Z. One lad decked-out in black impressively raps along, word for word while his mate, in similar attire, does his best white-boy dance. The majority of young punters mosh as one to the experimental raps, with the front of stage area a sea of swaying bodies expelling the occasional cloud of weed smoke. Gold and AK appreciate the support, high-fiving and shaking hands with fans when taking breathers between songs. The Brooklyn duo completely own the stage, keeping the energy strong as they drop Flexing and shout out to comrades Flatbush Zombies before performing their collaboration Clockwork Indigo. 

The inevitable encore happens in less time than it takes for The Underachievers to leave the stage and return, which pleases the crowd no end as their cries of "one more song" radiate around the venue. Midnight Augusto starts things off. Crowd request The Proclamation gets cut short when Gold and AK forget the lyrics. Another new song premieres before Fake Fans ends the evening on a high as The Underachievers continue to thank fans as the house lights fade in.