Obese Block Party
Viva, Fri 27 Apr



After three very successful editions in Melbourne, the Obese Block Party embarked on a national tour this year and as the crowded line-up stormed into Viva, a very strong local artist contingent was evident on the bill. Disappointingly, this seemed to have kept the show from being a sell-out, but it was still a strong crowd in front of the small stage and with the roof almost buckling under the downpour, it was a minor miracle that it happened at all.

The first non-DJ act of the night was a short ten-minute set by Paddo which the crowd didn't really seem to care about. It was a hard spot for a Melbourne rapper without an album, and he only played three relatively uninspiring tracks. Short sets proved to be the order of the night, though, and while this can have good aspects, many of the acts were over before the crowd even had a chance to notice them. Well-established locals like Terra Firma and the Cross Bred Mongrels played typically solid sets to a crowd that had, almost to a person, seen at least one of them before and knew exactly what to expect.

When Obese's latest signing, SA born and bred MC Vents, jumped on stage, with Trials from the Funkoars providing beats and cuts. Vents was able to rap with enough intensity and charisma to get people away from the bar and towards the stage. Far from his debut performance, especially in this state, Vents played hard and dark, dropping tracks off his upcoming album 'Hard To Kill', with all the stage presence of a much more experienced artist.

Greeted by huge roars whenever the host for the night, Reason, mentioned their name, Terra Firma obviously had a considerable home-town advantage. Swapping flows, rapping with infinite energy and getting a very enthusiastic reaction out of the crowd, Terra Firma played what was one of the highlights of the night. The live vocalist they had for the last part of the set was a great touch and certainly made it much more interesting to watch.

Adelaide's most accomplished scratch turntablist, Staen 1, made a couple of appearances throughout the night. With crazy scratches and beat juggling his typical funk-inflected hip-hop, Staen 1's short segments were an always-interesting break between more typical hip-hop performances.

Muph and Plutonic were always going to be one of the most exciting acts on the lineup, and it's not really much of a surprise that they killed it. Muph's intense style translates perfectly to the stage and the pair had the complete attention of the crowd as they smashed through tracks from 'Hunger Pains' and their latest album 'Silence The Sirens'. While their later stuff was well received, the reaction was unmatched by that for their earlier tracks. Songs like Beer Goggle, unsurprisingly, went down well with the somewhat inebriated crowd.

Label head Pegz is no stranger to Adelaide, and his set was as well-received as any on the night as he moved at breakneck speed through a selection that drew largely from his 2005 release, 'Axis'. His animation was appreciated by the crowd and it was clear why he has a following on a national scale. The Funkoars were a no-brainer; perfect to hype a crowd before a gig, after this type of build-up they threatened to bring the house down. Their typically energetic set again included favourites from their latest release, 'The Symphony' with Vents in particular getting a rowdy response, and when they came out for an encore, it was one that they thoroughly deserved. They were the perfect finale for an event that at every stage threatened to descend into a shambles - constantly behind schedule and under threat of being flooded - and yet all the more entertaining as a result when it didn't.

Alexis Buxton-Collins & Ben Ford-Smith

Photo: The Funkoars by Alexis Buxton-Collins