On a day like this there is nothing better than a festival which combines the intimate and relaxing feeling of a small gig, the astounding variety of music any good festival offers, and the excitement-inducing euphoria that one is awarded by witnessing some of the best live music one is guaranteed to witness all year. It was the second year of “Days Like This”, the only place to be for people who have come to detest the lack of melodic and rhythmic music at other festivals, and it was a very pleasing day.

The sun was intense so as soon as I entered the festival I rushed to the forum stage to take refuge and was greeted with the hard-hitting bass that accompanied every track dished out by the talented Harmonic 313 (Mark Pritchard). Pritchard has always seemed to enjoy pushing the boundaries that most producers are comfortable within and it was a treat to see him do this today as he mixed a little bit of hip-hop with a little bit of vintage electronica, encouraging the audience to get their groove on.

Next up for me was the soulful genius of Amp Fiddler on the main stage. Fiddler displayed much of the multi-talent he is so loved for as the smooth sounds of soul, funk and dance came together to the crowd’s delight as they ate up every track Amp Fiddler gave us; props to his backing band was well, they made it sound so effortless.

All the way around to the small courtyard stage and it was time to let loose and boogie to the breaks played by Flevans during his DJ set. This was a warm-up to Dilated Peoples on the nearby garden stage for me but proved to be just as enjoyable as the talented Flevans went through funk and breaks tracks to keep us dancing until it was time to leave for the famous Hip-Hop group, Dilated Peoples.

The Californian trio, made up of 2 emcees and a DJ, took to the stage with much fan-fare as they edged into some of their lesser-known before getting into the crowd-pleasing ‘You Can’t Hide, You Can’t Run’ but unfortunately, as much as I wanted to stick around for epic tracks ‘This Way’ and ‘Worst comes to Worst’ (which were probably saved for the end of the set), my most dreaded clash of the day took its effect and I left the stage to catch the beautiful Cat Power.

With such style and grace, Cat Power took us through her set, with the Dirty Delta Blues wonderfully translating her most melodic tracks to the adoring and ever-growing audience. I watched from the back as I took advantage of the short drink lines and delicious food that I wouldn’t find at other major music festivals (salt & pepper squid is amazing!).

There were many shady areas to hide from the unstoppable sun and these were mostly found near the street stage so I chilled there for awhile whilst listening to an unimpressive set by Ro Sham Bo DJs (who I usually love) but it was now time to head to the front of the main stage for the anticipated Roots Manuva.

The UK emcee ran out on stage and was greeted by the biggest audience of the day (so far) as he gave us some real hip-hop, with a little bit of grime thrown in for good measure. Every track that the crowd seemed to be waiting to hear was played and the epic ‘Witness the Fitness’ was stretched out to build up excitement as the DJ kept stopping, starting and chopping up the beat; finally Manuva and his hype-man got into it, managing to turn the whole crowd into one giant mosh pit. A very pleasing set indeed as the crowd begged for more but it was now time for DJ Ology to keep up entertained while we waited for The Cat Empire to begin.

The crowd grew as The Cat Empire hit the stage to deafening screams from audience members; I have never seen these guys live before but have heard wonderful things, and with the jazzy united sound of the band along with the smooth vocals of Felix Riebel and Harry James Angus, I instantly agreed with the praise they receive.

Ushering off the stage and leaving the crowd wanting more, The Cat Empire made way for DJ Ology to entertain us while we waited for the main attraction, Method Man & Redman. DJ Ology did a great job at appealing to all the hip-hop fans, who were now fighting for a good vantage point, by going through tracks like the staple ‘Simon Says’ to the well-known sounds of Snoop & Dre’s ‘Ain’t Nuttin’ But A G Thang.’

I’ve wanted to see Redman live since childhood, and with two of the most legendary figures in hip-hop just minutes away from hitting the stage the level of anticipation amongst the crowd and myself was overwhelming as the front started to become quite squashy. The uncomfortableness of this was quickly ignored however as Method Man & Redman walked out onto stage and immediately started with a few tracks from their latest album ‘Blackout 2.’ The crowd seemed to want the pair to get straight into their older and better-known tracks though but the new-ish songs managed to bring the feeling of a raw hip-hop concert to Sydney.

With comedic on-stage antics and plenty of stage presence, Redman gave me what I came for as he took us back to his debut album with the solo hit ‘Time 4 Sum AKsion’ which was quickly followed by Method Man’s Wu-Tang hit ‘M.E.T.H.O.D Man’ – old school was in the house.

Now performing old Wu-Tang hits, Ol’ Dirty Bastard tributes, Redman’s solo hits and tracks from the How High soundtrack, the hip-hop heavyweights had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands as we all jumped around to the songs we know and love. There was an absence of material from the first ‘Blackout’ album though (aside from the lyrical ‘Y.O.U’ and closer ‘Da Rockwilder’) of which disappointed me a bit but I didn’t have too much to complain about for long as the duo enjoyed making us make as much noise as possible before they closed their set with popular ‘Da Rockwilder’ and many audience members were rapping along to every single word. It was the highlight of the day and a great way to end a great day.

The day ran smoothly except for one moment where many disappointed fans could not gain access to the garden stage for the popular Dilated Peoples. Indeed, this festival is one for the discerning lovers of music and should not be ignored or neglected under any circumstances; this is the day where you will hear the music you’ve been waiting so long to hear live. 

We need more Days Like This!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY BY ANNETTE GENEVA 

A SECOND TAKE by James Hamilton 
... looking at Space Invadas and Dilated Peoples...

Space Invadas were a talented five piece group, with a mix of funk and hip hop elements, the use of a drum machine and varied collaborations from rappers across the globe (including Hau from Koolism) infused this genuine funk sound with futuristic features and an authentic rap vibe. Two members of Space Invadas also make up the Aussie hip-hop group Katalyst, so it is no wonder the Invadas have fundamental hip-hop basis to their sound. 

This galactic funk type sound was attributed to a heavy use of samples and synthesized key riffs, but all instruments were played fluently had not been for technical difficulties towards the end of the show. The MPC (drum machine) is a nice addition to have up on stage, but in my opinion it’s not really ready for it to be used widely live. Technology has a way of knowing the worst time to be unreliable, so we should keep all of the hardware in the studio. 

I really liked Space Invadas all in all, they had very good energy and movement around the stage. Vocals were a highlight of their show, a very talented and creative blend of Marvin Gaye type softness and James Brown’s funky stabs, it really made for an entertaining show. And the crowd seemed to agree with me, after most of the people packed out the Garden Stage after hearing their sound. 

Dilated Peoples was definitely one of the highlights of the festival, with their effortless energy, moving back and forth no stage and with lines it made for a treat for the senses. Dilated is one of the old school mentality crews, who are really talented at what they do and because of that they make good hip hop. They brought in a big very energetic crowd, who were all more than happy to participate with Evidence, the Speaker of Science and Dj Babu the Turntablist.  

The whole show was very tight, it went off without a hitch to speak of and various different flows into new songs and doing other people’s verses, showed that they were very versatile and good on their feet. Dj Babu who is also the producer for Dilated Peoples used many various samples and loops, but all were perfectly crafted to intertwine with the show or the song smoothly. Another aspect I liked about the show was that they went all the way back to their first release and played songs that were more than 10 years old, that meant to me that they really remember where they still come from and how they’ve started. And as if it couldn’t get any better, for the encore, my personal favourite Dilated track, Worse Comes to Worse, a very good note to end their show on.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY BY ANNETTE GENEVA