Once the spiritual home of Rock in Sydney, The Annandale has been struggling of late. The venue has become haggard in her old age, crumbling as the owners try to stay afloat. It's easy to get sentimental, but once you're inside the smell makes that impossible: the billowing, ammoniac gusts of stale week old piss from the toilets put paid to that. Once the room fills up it's not as noticeable, but it's a pretty poor effort.



First up for the night are Brisbane's Calski and Rainman. Performing tracks like 'Darlin' and 'The Valley', Rainman got an appreciative reception, while Calski's work on the MPC and his excellent rendition of 'Freedom Music' had the audience nodding along happily. DJ Ology, who stepped in at the last minute to bring the finishing touches to the show, was his usual dependable, staid self. This was a comfortable, likeable set from two guys whose energy effectively compliments each other.







I'd heard good things about Ellesquire's music before, but I've never managed to catch him live, so I was curious to see what was so special. Putting in a solid performance, he suffered a little from following an act with so much energy – there needed to be a little more interaction between MC and DJ, or a hype man, to move this performance from good to great. I was glad to see P. Smurf of Sydney's darlings Daily Meds join him on stage at one point, though, bringing a much needed injection of energy to the set. More of that, please.




Can a man be measured by the crowd he brings? If so, seeing notable heads like Swarmy, Sarm, Hyjak, Rainman and Chasm getting into things is a big fat seal of approval for Dialectrix. The crowd which started out so reserved was, by the time he hit the stage, energised and grinning. A large part of this unashamed enjoyment was probably the antics of DJ 2Buck and excellent support from hype man Tenth Dan – both guys have armloads of charisma and a genuine love for the music they play, and it shows.


With tracks like 'It's You' and 'Whut' getting that bounce factor, Dtrix also brought some of his triple double multiple bubble raps which are staggeringly precise and never fail to stun me with their effortlessness. 'Life Goes On' brought out the best in both the crowd and performers on stage, with a call and response that for once didn't feel hokey, embarrassing or forced.

Dialectrix has a quiet intelligence to his work which feels like the gentle care of a committed craftsman. There is nothing glib or insincere about his music, and no sudden lurches into suffocatingly sweet radio bait. There is room for humour, sadness, frustration and hope in his music, and it's this that will have many more punters rolling through the doors as this tour takes Brisbane and Melbourne this week.






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