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On a typical Sunday night there was something untypical formulating at Melbourne's famous Festival Hall. Hip hop hopefuls from around Australia were coming together to show a 5000 strong audience what exactly they are made of, and, more importantly, to try and make an impact on the Australian pop music scene.

Hip hop music fans lined the streets eager to enter Festival Hall and secure a good position for what was sure to be one of the best shows in town. Right on 7pm the first act, RetHouse, dimmed the lights. A heavy bass line ensued. The crowd was anticipating the rap groups first move, despite not even appearing on stage yet. 10 seconds on and the lighting effects exploded like a solar eclipse with the group immediately launching into their first song. The impact was strong and RetHouse set the pace for the nights upcoming acts.

The first major standout act, Meister, took the audience to a new, foreign place. The solid musical backing tracks gave way for powerful vocals and interesting stage presence which included some interesting dance moves and much crowd interaction. Another stand out performer was DaS, a hip hop vocalist from NT. Only performing cover songs DaS managed to portray feeling and a depth of performance not found in most of the other acts on the night. The audience certainly appreciated it.

The biggest impact came from Adelaide artist Matthew Najar. Matthew Najar kicked off his performance with a cover of rock band 30 Seconds To Mars' song 'Attack' which understandably took everyone by surprise.The vocal executive was very Jared Leto and raw. His stage presence was huge being the only artist using a full live band and not backing tracks, using extensive lighting effects and having a dozen costume changes (every song there was something new to wear). The show ran smooth and you could tell Matthew Najar was a professional in the field of performance. His vocal skill was surprising and strong with lots of flavor and his dancing the best of the night, but it was his influence on the young women in the audience which made him an act to remember. Singing love song ballads to the women in the front row constantly and making sure he told them he loved them just seemed so cheesy. This cheesiness was a success however with Matthew Najar being swamped by women after the show so badly that he couldn't complete his planned meet-and-great with the other artists of the show and as a result left the night early. Marketing 101? This guy had his actions down to a tight script which made him the obvious highlight of the show.

The amount of alcohol and soda consumed during the concert was huge with the bar totally being left dry. Festival Hall was hot, humid, crazy and sweaty with people barely being able to move from their original standing positions. The performances throughout the night were all of high quality and each act had their own individual nuances which made them something to remember.

Festival Hall will be showcasing some amazing acts in the upcoming few weeks with Motorhead on 26 March, The Script Arpil 5 and much more. Remember to book at Ticketmaster early to secure your position at Festival Hall and catch all the live music Australia and the world has to offer.

 

London Catering

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