Sometimes, I go out of my Fitzroy ghetto. Not very often, but it happens.
So I packed a bag, checked my data for Google Maps emergency checks, kissed my wife and children goodbye, topped up my Myki card, and was gone into the wild (okay, just a 45min ride on two trams). The reason for such a trip? The Underachievers‘ gig at Howler in Brunswick.
They’re presently on a world tour after the release of their album ‘Evermore: the Art of Duality’ in 2015. As a massive hip hop fan, I was super thrilled to get the chance to see them in Melbourne.
And I was not disappointed.
After a really cool opening (check out Nico Ghost, Melbourne-based rapper!), the New York duo, comprised of Issa Gold and AK, lit up the public (and some weird looking cigarettes…) with a selection of songs from their last album. If you want a general idea of their music, mix Dead Prez, A$AP Rocky, and a Schoolboy Q flow, and you will have the explosive yet chill vibe they release on stage.
According to Issa, the origin of their name come from their tendency to smoke weed and take psychedelic drugs, and is an ironic way to show that despite what people think about drug users, they still manage to be successful and spread positive messages while being considered ‘underachievers’.
Alternating bangers like ‘Generation Z’, more chilled-out tunes like ‘Shine All Gold’, darker and deeper ones like ‘Chasing Faith’ about suicidal thoughts, and even playing older hits (‘Herb Shuttles’) from their 2013 album Indigoism, everything was done to please the fans. The two rappers were obviously enjoying themselves.
I was surprised to even see people jump from the stage and crowd surf. Not something I usually see in a hip hop concert. These guys rock!
I’m writing this article from an internet café on Sydney Road, still trying to find my way back to Fitzroy.
Help.
– Erwan
Erwan B. is a French/Australian video editor but mostly waiter, avid reader, and wanna-be writer who tends to go out too much for his own good. As a French person, he does walk around with croissants and baguettes.
To my fellow Australians from WA, you can still catch them at Jack Rabbit Slim’s bar in Perth on 12 April. Otherwise, keep up-to-date with their happenings (and get their music) on The Underachievers’ website and Facebook.
