You've seen Donny Benet's type of shtick before, whether it's been in the guise of Har Mar Superstar or "Ding Dong Song" star Gunther � dudes that aren't very good looking playing songs about how good looking and sexy they are. Depending on who is responsible for it, the novelty can wear off quite quickly. It's good to know, then, that Benet has both enough charm and enough musical ability to keep the gathering audience interested. Despite the empty dancefloor (most had taken to the surrounding couches), Benet delivered his kitschy disco-flavoured electro-pop with all the self-assurance of a man half his age with twice his looks. Each song followed a basic formula, either being performed karaoke style with a backing track or on electric guitar, always ending in either an extended synth jam or a clean guitar solo. It's not going to revolutionise the irony-laden-pop scene, but it's guaranteed to at least crack a smile � and that's the least Benet could ask for.
Normally, when a strumming folk artist collides with a mile-a-minute rapper, it's because they're blaring out of separate car stereos or even perhaps they've found themselves on nearby festival stages at the same time. It's increasingly rare such a duo comes together intentionally � and, yet, there we were; watching New York absurdist MC extraordinaire Aesop Rock busting out a verse about how he could "actually take [his] finger off" while anti-folk darling Kimya Dawson chirpily sang about how her dad worked in the laundromat. After performing two songs together, Aesop left the first part of the show in Kimya's trusting hands, who proceeded to not only fully exceed the expectations of the devoted fans but also uncross the arms of many of the stubborn hip-hop fans scattered about the room.
It wasn't long before the crowd was shouting along to Loose Lips and keeping the beat on the a capella I Like Bears, Dawson herself humbled by the sheer enthusiasm of her Sydney fans. She noted that she had not been in Australia in three years, and was having major problems with her wrists on that particular visit. "I feel like I can just properly enjoy myself this time," she said, and this enjoyment was certainly mutual for most of the audience. The set was filled with plenty of older favourites, including the obligatory I Like Giants and her songs involved in that movie. Perhaps the most powerful parts of her performance, however, came in the form of two new songs.
The first was a ten-minute saga entitled Walk Like Thunder, a striking and devastatingly honest song about losing friends and going through tumultuous times � yet, despite it all, still being bold and strong for those who need it. A passionate verse from Aesop dropped just in time, especially considering Kimya herself was on the verge of tears simply from performing the song live. This alone was one of the highlights of the entire evening, but it was equalled by the set closer Same Shit/Complicated, which could simply be described as two chords and the truth. Say what you will about her recorded material, but if you can't find anything to like or even love about Kimya Dawson after watching her live, you're definitely missing out.
A quick changeover saw the demeanour of the room shift completely from what had previously been seen. Donny Benet's empty dancefloor had been filled out nicely, and the gentle swayers and sing-along punters from Kimya's set were giving a wide berth to the fans who'd been waiting for more than just a casual verse. Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz strolled out in a haze, dropped Citronella from Aesop's most recent studio album (2007's None Shall Pass ) and took the relatively quiet proceedings of the night thus far and kicked it into overdrive. Although the man born Ian Bavitz has been somewhat on the down-low since None Shall Pass � and hasn't even toured Australia since the Future Music Festival in 2008 � the crowd greets Aesop and his crew with an excitable, seemingly unshakable energy.
This even carries through a slew of new material that the on-stage trio had made under the moniker Hail Mary Mallon, whose debut LP Are You Gonna Eat That? dropped in June. Highlights included the booming Breakdance Beach � which, sadly, didn't inspire anyone to open up a circle and lay down some cardboard � and the pulsating, grinding sounds of single Garfield, which saw Aesop and Sonic trading verses as though it was some kind of subtle competition. Rob held his own throughout the set, laying down rhymes with ease and working just as hard as Aesop to get the crowd fired up. Big Wiz, too, was far more than just a backing track � his on-the-fly scratch solos were something to behold, a stroke of vintage hip-hop that still inspired awe after all this time. "Do you wanna see some dude with a fucking iPod," Sonic asked the crowd, "or do you wanna see a real DJ?" You can surely guess the answer given.
Dawson returned to the stage to perform another two songs from the forthcoming collaborative album between herself and Aesop, their avant-garde hip-hop feel suggesting that this album is going to be a lot more than just Aesop placing his rhymes over Kimya's strumming. Hell, if the track Bats is anything to go by, then we might find out just how badass of a femme-C Kimya actually is. She rejoined the crowd to dance along to the finale of None Shall Pass, and at that point it didn't matter who "won" out of the anti-folk hipsters or the underground hip-hop heads. What mattered was how seamlessly and brilliantly their two sets and styles overlapped, and how both could be enjoyed equally if you simply broadened your pallette. MC Skat Kat was surely onto something when he noted that opposites attract some twenty years earlier.
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