The energy is always positive at a Herd show. The opening act was the Grassroots Street Orchestra. This large and diverse band punch out a unique blend of gypsy folk and hip-hop. The group is incredibly tight considering how many musicians are in the orchestra and how often they switch instruments between themselves. They started the night off well, however their energy levels were a little low and it looked like their frontman might have had a big weekend.
The second support act, The Last Kinection, switched the vibe up a notch with their more commercial club sound. The three-piece consisted of brother and sister MCs Weno and Nay accompanied by DJ Jaytee on the decks. It’s refreshing to see female MCs perform with such confidence. Nay impressed the crowd by spitting fast-paced technical raps and singing passionate hooks. Her brother, MC Weno, did a good job holding it down for the Y chromosome, with a confident, positive flow promoting unity between all Australians regardless of ethnicity.
You could tell the crowd was anxious for The Herd to come on and when they did, the energy levels in the Sands definitely stepped up. Their set was a great mix of new and old with the Elephant Traks crew dropping unexpected bangers like ‘Starship Trooper’ and ‘Under Pressure’. The crowd got into the newer tracks off ‘Summerland’, with everyone singing along to ‘Zug Zug’ and ‘2020’, however their older classics like ‘I Was Only 19’ definitely banged harder. It was great to see The Herd firing on all cylinders on a stage that was large enough to make them look comfortable. It’s hard to fault them as they are always super tight and have great band chemistry. Also, mad respect to Uncle Ho for busting an accordion solo - pure Mack!
(Recon)
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