Canberra was the last stop of the One Day tour, and if the party that took place at ANU Bar is any indication, what a tour it must have been! This gig was destined to be something a bit special – 4 of Sydney’s biggest upcoming hip-hop acts playing separately, then uniting as the supergroup One Day for the final act.

The audience were itching for some hip-hop. MC Joyride came out first – a huge wall of a man with a huge voice to match which he used to serenade the audience. He struggled a little to keep the crowd’s attention, but he was to make up for that as the night progressed.

Jackie Onassis immediately stepped it up, the enthusiasm of rapper Kai Tan spurring the audience on. They treated us to two new songs, and their track Special Occasion was particularly well received. Joyride joined in on a cover of Beyonce’s Drunk in Love, showing the first hint of chemistry between members of the separate groups that would be taking to the stage in the final act.

Spit Syndicate followed, with MC Joyride on the decks. The two rappers, Jimmy Nice and Nick Lupi worked well together, and their track Beauty in the Bricks was huge.

Horrorshow had a slightly different feel from the first three acts. Rapper Solo was quite intense, giving a slightly more serious vibe than the the previous groups. The crowd enjoyed shouting along to Are you feeling Horrorshow, though it’s hard to say exactly how ‘Horrorshow’ feels.

The format of the night worked well, and it felt like a festival, particularly because every support act had fans present. It was interesting to note that every group had songs that mentioned the words ‘One Day’.

Finally, it was time for the main event. First it was just Raph (Jackie Onassis) and Adit (Horrorshow) on the decks, then Solo, and Jimmy came on and started rapping the first song. They were soon joined by Nick, and then Joyride who came on to cheers with a bottle of wine in hand. Finally, Kai bounced onstage with his characteristic burst of energy, and the crew was complete.

All were dressed in black, and the party vibe was strong, with not only the audience partying, but the 7 on stage doing the same – they couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, and their enthusiasm was infectious with the energy being maintained for the whole set. There was something magic about the 7 artists working together, their chemistry onstage reflecting the fact that all members of One Day have been close friends for a long time.

Joyride showed his extra talents by picking up a guitar and drumsticks on various tracks during the set, and his vocals added a lot to the overall sound.
One Day’s single Love Me Less went off, with the audience singing along and the artists delivering it with everything they had.

As far as Aussie hip-hop goes, this is where it’s at. Let’s all cross our fingers that this isn’t the last we’ll see of One Day, as this was likely one of the most fun nights ANU Bar has ever seen.