The Aardvark’s 1st Birthday @ The Aardvark
w/ Superego, Jamilla, Adrian Dzvuke, Hyclass, Yomi Ship
Sunday, July 7, 2019
The Aardvark was celebrating their first birthday with a weekend of top notch artists from all over the Perth sphere along with a menu of tasty well priced beverages. The birthday bonanza finished up on the Sunday and it was a special night.
Three-piece Yomi Ship opened the evening on reverbed guitar riffs like glass and seamless bass which flowed through and disturbed each song in a perfect way. Their version of post- and experimental rock brings forward notions of prog rock geniuses The Moody Blues. It was a really nice opening set, as it instilled a sense of intense instrumentals that formed a relaxed and focused atmosphere. Each piece they played seemed to visit numerous different places musically and played out less in a traditional song form but instead were like a journey through different moods and experiences. Yomi Ship finished off their set with their 2017 release Sea Monkey which starts off with a toting powerful bass and builds and builds until it finishes on a thunderous clap.
Second up was flavourful MC Hyclass, as soon as her first song started the whole crowd were swaying and bopping, totally enraptured. Dressed in some killer leopard print and rapping some killer tracks about surviving through life’s tribulations she set the atmosphere of the Aardvark alight. Hyclass played an oldie called Down Homie which was smooth and funky, and she rapped over tracks coming from a laptop but her command of the stage and the space meant a full band would only feel like an unnecessary distraction to her natural, powerful stage presence.
Everybody was having a good boogie, waving their hips around the way I only like to do in the privacy of my own room. It was great to feel such a community and comfortable familiarity around a song, made everyone feel a little funky. She performed one of my personal favourites from her 2015 album I Need U called Cool Down which she described as being “about hard times when you just need to chill out for a little.” Hyclass has a commanding yet still and emotive voice, she doesn’t scream for your attention but naturally holds your focus. She finished up on her latest release, a track called Yea Nah, which was more of a Yea, Yea for me.
Adrian Dzvuke is a hip hop producer who has captured the attention of many in the Perth music industry and continues to do so, having supported Pond at their Perth show for their 2019 tour and even more recently supporting Winston Surfshirt. Playing gigs with a full band of excitingly talented musicians, Dzvuke is an impressive act to see live with a charming energy that translates into a stimulating performance. Playing the singer’s favourite track Ocean Drive showcased the raw talent of their very smiley drummer. After this was a single they just dropped last month called Saturday which despite it being Sunday had the crowd in a right state. With piercing whistling coming from the back, and drunk hooligans having a good groove, honestly it was hard to pay attention enough to write notes about this artist because everyone (this scribe included) was too busy having a good groove.
Electronic r&b soul producer Jamilla is impossible to separate from her long purple dreads and an impressive and proud feeling to her music. Having just gotten home from a national tour, it was nice to have her back in a local haunt. Opening with 2018 track Beautiful, a fierce ode towards loving yourself and not relying on the love of another to fulfill you, it showcased how her music combines wisdom with soulful vocals. Her tracks present silky lo-fi music which accompanies her soft tones that seep into your brain little by little. Jamilla has intense eyes and a playful smile that reach out into the crowd in a subtle manner. For her second last song she did a track recently released called Bloom (check out the music video directed by Perth artist Sakidasumi, a really formidable clip which showcases two of Perth’s female talents). Jamilla spoke about how special Bloom was to her as she had been playing a lot of line ups where she was the only person of colour however she seemed excited to reflect that this line up didn’t fall into that category. She finished off her set with Cold, which has a rawness and honesty to it that is distinctive and bites at you.
The headliner for Aardvark’s Sunday birthday bash was the highly anticipated SUPEREGO (the group formerly known as POW! Negro). SUPEREGO are a collective of very talented people, producers, rappers, multi-instrumentalists and singers who bring an energy and unconstrained emotion. Their sound moved around the space nicely and it felt like you were in an empty cave filled with just pure noise.
There was a special appearance from rapper Cruz Patterson (Shannon Cruz) from the now disbanded Perth band, Koi Child. Cruz dressed like he had just got out of bed but he rapped like he was ready for the stage his whole life. The band did a little Happy Birthday song to the Aardvark before their second last number. A somber song called Typical, it hit hard like a heavy blanket put upon your misunderstood idea of privilege.
SUPEREGO are a sound that commands more than the space they have; it’s all encompassing. With many of their lyrics having political or social motivations, it’s easy to feel like you’re becoming part of a movement or gaining a little bit more understanding of issues when you’re listening intently to their set. Particularly for their last song Burn, which Nelson Mondlane introduced with “this is for our planet, best we do what we can before time runs out.” This last song was aggressive and powerful, like most of their set honestly. Over the Id and the ego stage, SUPEREGO are bringing morality to their music.
EMMA PEET
Photos by Adrian Thomson
